


Family is the Best Gift of All

by 7ofMine



Series: [Currently Untitled Series] [2]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Banter, Cheese, Christmas, F/F, Family, Flirting, Kathryn and Seven have been married for a decade and still act like newlyweds, Love, Romance, The Hansen-Janeways have kids, lesbians in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:08:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28171428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7ofMine/pseuds/7ofMine
Summary: After their return to Earth, Seven and Kathryn get married and start a family. What is Christmas like for the couple? Read on to find out.
Relationships: Kathryn Janeway/Seven of Nine
Series: [Currently Untitled Series] [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094957
Comments: 47
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This ignores anything that happens towards the end of Voyager or in Picard. 
> 
> I didn't intend to write this. It started with me asking what readers would like to see in a dream chapter for my other fic, 'Defining Parameters', and the suggestions added fuel to the little spark of an idea I had and my brain has developed it into a full-blown forest fire.
> 
> Some other notes:  
> \- I'm Australian, so I spell Mum with a 'u', not an 'o'. You'll have to pry the 'u' out of my cold, dead hands :P  
> \- Seven's speech is more relaxed here than it was when she was on Voyager. This was a conscious choice as I believe she would have 'evolved' over time. Given the changes we saw in the few years she was on Voyager, I think it's reasonable to assume that additional years, time on Earth and motherhood would have encouraged her to further loosen up.  
> \- Depending on how everything plays out, I may end up making this a sequel to 'Defining Parameters', but I will definitely write it so it can stand alone.
> 
> I think that's all. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Seven arrives home from work shortly after lunch time on the 23rd of December (Earth date, of course) and stamps snow off her heavy combat boots on porch, brushing it off her coat and knitted hat at the same time. The snow is unseasonably heavy, but she has to admit that the novelty has never quite worn off seeing it, particularly at Christmas time. The sound alerts the occupants of the house that she has arrived, and she hasn’t even managed to get her gloves off before she lets out an ‘ooof!’ as she is barrelled into by her eldest son.

“Hi,” she smiles, bending down enough to hug him (she’s glad he still lets her- some of his friends have started rejecting their parents’ affection) and ruffles his hair. “This was a nice greeting.”

Grady give this mother a lopsided grin and takes her gloves, waiting patiently for her to remove her coat and hat, and then placing everything in its correct place just inside the door. 

“And you’re helping?” she asks. He’s not normally a lazy or unhelpful kid, but this is definitely more than he usually does. 

“Hey, I help!” he protests as his mother sits down on the bench inside the door and undoes her boots. 

“I know you do,” Seven says reassuringly. She raises an eyebrow, her ocular implant quirking. “I think I know what’s going on here… Santa Claus is watching?” 

“Gotta cover my bases,” her son offers by way of explanation, causing Seven to laugh. She was initially somewhat resistant to including the fictional character in their holiday traditions, but ultimately decided that a little fun and imagination might be good for them.

“Well, is one of your bases your bedroom?” the tall blonde asks.

Grady gets the picture very quickly. “Yes,” he agrees somewhat reluctantly. 

“The quicker you finish, the quicker we can have fun,” Seven reminds him, which seems to encourage the young boy.

“Okay!” he agrees. “The Admiral is in the kitchen.”  
Seven stifles a laugh. She thinks it’s funny and cute, but Kathryn isn’t a fan of her son’s ‘nickname’ for her. It’s been an ongoing battle. “Grady, you know she doesn’t like it when you call her that,” she reminds him, attempting to be stern. Their oldest child- ‘only by two minutes’- his twin sister would remind her- wants to join Starfleet like his Mummy, and has well and truly immersed himself in protocol and procedures, including referring to his mother by rank.

When Grady has been reminded and headed off to his room, Seven walks into the kitchen to find that Kathryn is indeed there, decorating cookies with their youngest, Gavin. He’s sitting on the kitchen bench next to the cookies while Kathryn rests a hand protectively on his little legs so he can’t wiggle too far and fall, handing him sprinkles and frosting in various shades with the other hand when when he asks for them. They’ve been practicing his colours, and he’s getting quite good, but Kathryn sees this as a fun way to sneak in a little more practice.

Seven approaches and kisses his head. “These look great, Gavin,” she encourages him. “Look at that one!” she exclaims enthusiastically, pointing to one of the haphazardly iced cookies. It is Christmas-tree shaped, adorned with green icing (on most of it), and covered in red m&ms, with the exception of a lone yellow one hanging crookedly off the top, mercifully saved by the icing which is hardening to secure it in place.

“Me did it!” Gavin says proudly. He picks it up in chubby, icing-covered fingers and thrusts it towards Seven. “For Mama. Red is your fav’rit.”

“It is! And that is the most beautiful cookie I have ever seen,” she tells him and, in all seriousness, it’s the truth. Since becoming a mother Seven’s definition of beauty and perfection has changed significantly, and now, the fact that her youngest child has put so much effort into decorating the cookie for her and is so proud of himself makes it the best cookie Seven could ever receive. “Thank you,” she says, kissing his head. She takes the cookie and almost succeeds in dodging in hand as he reaches up.

“Taste!” he encourages, and Kathryn has to purse her lips to stop from smirking as Seven ends up with a sticky little finger in her mouth. 

The younger woman is accustomed to the messiness of motherhood and grins, taking his finger out of her mouth after a second and holding it. “Yes, that’s very nice,” she agrees. “In fact, I may like some more…” she makes an ‘om nom nom’ noise and pretends to chomp at his hand, eliciting squeals of delight from Gavin.

“Maaaamaaaa!!!!” he says, squirming and laughing. “Not eat me!”

Seven laughs and lifts him up, placing a kiss on his forehead this time and then setting him down. “Go and ask Gretchen to help you wash your hands,” she instructs good-naturedly, watching as he complies and takes off running to find his sister. 

“Wetchen! Mama says help me!” he yells.

“Hands off the walls!” Seven reminds him as she finally has the opportunity to greet her wife. She sets the cookie down gently- she’ll take a holo-image of it before she eats it- and smiles broadly.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” Kathryn says, wiping her hands on her apron and then wrapping them around the scarf that, in all of the excitement, Seven forgot to take off. ”We weren’t expecting you home for hours.”

“I missed my wife,” Seven explains, leaning in to kiss her deeply.

Kathryn uses her hold on Seven’s scarf to keep her near while she returns the kiss, humming happily as Seven wraps her arms around her. “Your wife missed you, too,” she replies, resting her forehead against Seven’s and gazing adoringly into her eyes.

Seven steals another quick peck on the lips before nestling her face in Kathryn’s hair. It’s pulled back haphazardly off her face, but still at just the right height for Seven to nuzzle into. “Even your hair smells like cookies," she comments with a smile.

Kathryn releases her grip on Seven’s scarf so she can hug her back. “I probably have cookie dough stuck in there somewhere. Gavin’s baking style is a little… enthusiastic.”

“I’d noticed,” Seven chuckles. Neither of them has let go yet, both enjoying the feeling of being wrapped up in each other’s arms far too much to do that. She closes her eyes and enjoys the moment, losing track of time until she feels something hit her hip. She opens her eyes and looks down, letting go of Kathryn.

“Hello, little miss,” she says, picking Gretchen up and hugging her.

“Hi Mama,” her daughter replies with a grin and a kiss on the cheek. “How was work?”

Seven smiles and sets her daughter down again. The seven year old has picked up quite a few of Kathryn’s sayings, and consequently comes out with little phrases and questions that make her seem older than she is. “It was good, but I missed you,” she says as she takes her scarf off and drapes it over the back of one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

“Is that why you came home early?” the little girl enquires, looking up at Seven with blue eyes identical to her mother’s. 

“It is.”

“So you can help us decorate the tree?” she asks hopefully.

“That’s the plan!” Seven says, matching Gretchen’s enthusiasm. “A bit later, though, okay? Mummy still has a meeting with Starfleet this afternoon, and when she and Gavin are done with the baking and decorating I’m going to clean up the kitchen to say thank you for making us these delicious cookies.”

“Okay.” Gretchen steps over to the kitchen counter and surveys the cookies. “They look yummy.”

“Why don’t you take one for yourself, and one for your brothers?” Kathryn suggests. “You can eat them in the play room.”

Gretchen doesn’t need to be asked twice. She scoops up three cookies and wraps her arms quickly around Kathryn before she goes off in search of the boys.

“She gets more like you every day,” Seven tells Kathryn. The thought makes her so incredibly happy.

“Poor child,” Kathryn laughs.

“I can’t think of a better role model for her,” Seven argues, helping herself to a small, unfrosted cookie. She takes a bite and smiles as Kathryn reaches out and takes the remaining half, popping it into her mouth.

“Ewwww. Geeeeerms!” Seven says playfully, imitating Gretchen.

“I think the horse has bolted on that one, darling,” Kathryn replies with a wink, stealing another kiss. Just then the timer on the oven goes off- Kathryn insists on baking from scratch rather than replicating when it comes to the holidays. She walks over to the oven and bends over to peer inside, pressing the button for the light so she can examine the cookies without opening the door. When it doesn’t work, she tries again, and it gives her wife just enough time to sneak up behind her and take hold of Kathryn by the waist, letting her own hips gently bump then press against Kathryn’s backside. The older woman laughs and holds the position for a few seconds before straightening up and turning around. 

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell,” she chuckles, mirroring Seven’s grip by holding the younger woman’s hips. Kathryn is very much the ‘top’ in their relationship, and in the ten years they’ve been together she hasn’t once bent over for Seven.

“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” the younger of the two replies playfully, winking at Kathryn. She’s not upset by it at all- she loves their dynamic, and she also loves that they can playfully tease each other about their respective roles. 

From time to time, Seven catches Kathryn in a compromising position and playfully attempts to ‘take the upper hand’, knowing it won’t go anywhere. On the flip side, Kathryn amuses them both by lightly teasing Seven about her (initially unexpected) submissive side and, once in a while, about being a pillow princess, despite it being far from the truth- Seven is a very active participant in their sex life.

The older woman knows it’s just banter, and kisses Seven’s lips lightly. “I love you,” she tells her, her voice soft and sincere. “Sometimes I look at you and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you in my life.”

“Even after all these years?” Seven enquires, taking one of Kathryn’s hands off her hip so she can hold it, rubbing her thumb gently over the other woman’s wedding band.

“Especially after all these years,” Kathryn replies, linking their fingers together. “If anything, it’s gotten stronger. I was somewhat surprised when you showed a romantic interest in me, I marvelled at the fact you put up with me all the way back to Earth, was floored that you agreed to marry me and continue to be absolutely astounded every single day that you have given me three beautiful children and choose to be my partner in this incredible life we’ve created for our family.”

Seven swallows hard as she gazes at Kathryn, her heart feeling like it could burst with love and happiness at any moment. She leans into the touch when Kathryn reaches up and lovingly wipes a tear from the younger woman’s cheek.

“Your ocular implant is malfunctioning,” Kathryn whispers, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious around Seven. She hasn’t felt uncomfortable around Seven in over a decade, but something about the admission she has just made has her feeling like the slightly awkward woman who Seven, for reasons unknown to Kathryn, agreed to date on Voyager. She wants to take some attention away from her sappy declaration.

Seven understands what Kathryn is trying to do, but she isn’t willing to let her off quite that easily. “I love you, too, Kitten,” she whispers back, using the nickname that Kathryn initially hated, but now happily accepts. It’s saved only for when they’re at their softest and most vulnerable. Despite being quite open in her affection with (and adoration of) their mother, it’s something that Seven hasn’t even let the children hear call Kathryn. It’s just for the two of them. 

Kathryn turns to absolute mush when Seven calls her ‘Kitten’- not that she wasn’t already 90% of the way there. She squeezes Seven’s hand with one of hers, and brings the other up to play very, very gently with one of her wife’s curls. “Can we turn in right after we get the kids settled tonight and make love?” she requests, her voice still not breaking above a whisper. 

Seven nods. “Of course, my love.” Usually if Kathryn is proposing sex ahead of time, rather than being more spontaneous, she’ll use some cheeky innuendo or leave it at simply asking if Seven wants ‘an early night’- it’s enough for Seven to know what she means. In light of that, this is somewhat different for them. Although they often take time for lovemaking and not just ‘having sex’ (or, from time to time when the kids are at Aunt Phoebe’s house and they don’t have to be quite so conscious of their noise level, activity that is much more accurately termed ‘fucking’), Kathryn very seldom requests ahead of time that they ‘make love’. 

The older woman isn’t sure if it’s the fact that they’re cosy and warm at home with their family, that she’s still feeling a little raw after their most recent failed attempt to add another child to their brood, or simply the fact that it tends to be a romantic time of year, but she knows she wants to spend extra time showing Seven how much she loves and appreciates her this evening. Her musing is interrupted by a loud, shrill noise, and it takes a second for her to realise that she’s forgotten the cookies. “Shit!” she says, snapping out of her dopey, loved-up haze and crossing quickly to the oven. She grabs an oven mitt and opens the oven door, pulling out the now-burnt cookies as Seven uses a voice command to tell their home’s computer to turn the sound off on the smoke alarm.

Seven walks over to the kitchen window, opening it to let a little smoke out and fresh air in.“Damage report?” she requests, as she walks up beside Kathryn.

“Completely unsalvageable,” Kathryn says grimly. “No survivors.”

“And yet they’re still less burned than the dinner you attempted to replicate for me the night we decided we were both ready to-“

Kathryn bumps Seven’s hip gently with her own. “I was nervous!” she protests, a light blush colouring her cheeks. 

“So was I,” Seven replies reassuringly. “It actually made me more relaxed seeing that you were nervous, too.” 

“It did?” Kathryn asks, surprised. “You’ve never told me that before.”

Seven nods. “You have quite a presence about you. All of that confidence was a lot to contend with.”

The older woman smiles. “Just when I think I know everything there is to know about you you surprise me with something more. It’s one of my favourite things about you.”

Seven hums and rubs Kathryn’s back affectionately. 

“Is our house going to burn down?” Grady asks as he comes into the kitchen, his twin sister and younger brother close-behind.

“No,” Kathryn tells him, rolling her eyes. “No thanks to you three. Talk about slow response times!”

“Sorry Adm-ama,” Grady replies, catching himself. 

Kathryn winks at him. They both know she doesn’t expect the children to have actually done anything about it. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I’m sorry that I got distracted and burned the last tray of cookies.”

“They were probably smooching again,” Gretchen says knowingly.

“They’re always smooching,” Grady reminds his sister, rolling his eyes.

“Tisses!” Gavin shouts gleefully, wanting to be included in his siblings’ conversation.

“Yes, kisses,” Kathryn laughs, scooping their youngest up and attacking his face with kisses, holding her grip firm as he wiggles and squeals happily in her arms.

“Why don’t you go and get ready for your call and I’ll tidy up here?” Seven suggests when the laughter dies down a little. She’s glad Kathryn has been able to spend more time working at home so they can both work and still spend quality time with the children, but she doesn’t think her wife can really be seen- even on a screen or in holographic form- covered in flour and frosting with her hair a mess and the slightest tinge of Seven’s shade of lipstick on her lips.

Kathryn thanks Seven and leaves, taking Gavin with her so he isn’t underfoot when Seven is cleaning up the kitchen. 

“You guys didn’t want to help with the Christmas cookies this year?” Seven asks the twins as she surveys the mess, wondering where would be the most efficient place to start the clean-up operation.

“Mummy said I could help her decorate the gingerbread house,” Gretchen informs her Mama.

“And she’s going to teach me how to make Stollen,” Grady adds. When they got back to Earth and investigated Seven’s family more, they discovered that she’s of German heritage, and Seven decided to embrace it- to a point. While the older children know the very basics of what happened with the Borg (Gavin is still too young, and hasn’t even realised that there’s something ‘different’ about his Mama), both Kathryn and Seven decided that they wanted their children to be familiar with their human heritage from both sides of the family.

It wasn’t always easy for Kathryn to know how much to encourage Seven to embrace her heritage and when it was better to back off. Thankfully, they were good at communicating and Seven was usually quite clear when she expressed what she did and didn’t want. It was made somewhat easier when Seven was able to meet some of her cousins, aunts and uncles, and saw that although her parents were irresponsible, she does have family who care about her. Now, they have some German holiday traditions, and while English is their primary language, Seven has taught all three children German as part of their one-on-one time with Mama (despite the twins’ protests that it isn’t fair because Seven’s cortical node meant she acquired the language in a single regeneration cycle, rather than the time they’ve invested in learning). 

They’ve embraced both sides’ heritage when it comes to naming their children, too. Gretchen’s name had been a stroke of luck- she was able to have a German name and Kathryn’s mother’s name in one. Grady’s name had been a nod to Kathryn’s Irish heritage, as had Gavin’s. They agreed that if (and these days, it was seeming more to Kathryn like a very big ‘if’) they had a fourth child, the youngest of the Hansen-Janeways would also have a German name to even it out, and they’d follow with the “G” tradition- it is, after all, the seventh letter of the alphabet. 

“Sounds like you’re both going to have fun with Mummy over the next few days,” Seven says with a smile. She loves that no matter how busy Kathryn is, she makes time to spend one-on-one with each of their children, ensuring they feel special and loved.

“While Mummy’s with Grady, can you help me build a snow man?” Gretchen asks hopefully.

“Of course,” Seven assures her daughter. “And what would you like to do, Mr. Mischief?” she asks Grady.

“I want to make a catapult! I want to launch snowballs over the wall Lergh always takes cover behind, but I need help with the trajectories.” His best friend, a young Klingon boy who is in his class and happens to live across the road, is also his greatest rival when it comes to play battles.

Seven considers this. She isn’t sure how she feels about Grady making weaponry, even as part of a game, but the historical nature of the weapon and the fact that he’s actually requesting an activity that will improve his mathematics and physics skills lead Seven to believe that the activity is not entirely without merit. “I’m not sure how I feel about you making a catapult, Grady. Let me talk to Mummy about it, and we’ll let you know tomorrow, okay?”

Grady nods. He knows better than to argue. “Thanks, Mama,” he says. “If we can’t actually make one, can we at least run a simulation?”

“I’ll let you know,” she tells him patiently. “Either way, I promise we’ll do something fun together.”

“Okay,” Grady agrees. 

Kathryn reemerges then, and Seven looks slightly guilty when she realises that she hasn’t even started tidying the kitchen. “Sorry,” she apologises.

“It’s okay,” Kathryn assures her. She’s clean and tidy now, in a perfectly-pressed uniform.

“Will you be long?” Gretchen asks her mother. “I’m really excited to decorate the tree.”

“I’ll be as quick as I can,” Kathryn assures her little girl. 

“Why don’t you go and try to teach your brother to play kadis-kot while you wait?” Seven suggests. Gavin is far too young, but that won’t stop him from enjoying the colours and feeling like a ‘big kid’. Gretchen looks like she might whine before Seven continues. “Or you can help me clean up the kitchen…”

“Hey, Gavvy, let’s go play,” Gretchen decides quickly. “You should probably start learning now- then maybe one of us will have a chance at beating Mama before we turn thirty.”

Seven rolls her eyes playfully. “Right. Out you go,” she encourages, herding the children towards the kitchen door. “In the playroom, please. And keep it down so Mummy can hear what’s going on in her meeting.”

“Okay, Mama,” Gretchen agrees. She takes Gavin’s hand and leads him out of the kitchen, with Grady following behind after quickly saluting Kathryn.

Kathryn sighs. “What are we going to do with him?” she asks Seven.

“I say we lean into it,” Seven tells her, stepping closer to Kathryn to make minute ‘adjustments’ to her uniform, although everything was already perfect. “It’s encouraging him to study harder at school because he wants to make sure he can get into the academy. He’s cultivating an interest in leadership, discipline and honour. Plus, it makes him feel closer to you. He wants you to be proud of him.”

“I am proud of him,” Kathryn assures Seven.

“I know that,” the younger woman tells her. “And I’m sure he does, too.” She pauses. “Does the name really bother you that much?”

“I don’t know,” Kathryn admits. “I just want to be Mummy when I’m at home. I don’t want my children to feel like they have to treat me a certain way because of my job.”

“Our children love and respect you because you are a caring, intelligent, nurturing, and funny individual,” Seven reminds her. “But if it bothers you I’ll have another conversation with Grady about it.”

“Thank you,” Kathryn smiles. “I have to get going- the meeting starts in two minutes.”

“Okay. I love you,” Seven says adoringly.

“I love you, too,” Kathryn replies.

Seven watches as her wife leaves the kitchen and makes her way down the hallway towards her office. “Your backside looks great in that uniform!” she calls out teasingly after her. Kathryn pauses for a moment and wiggles her hips playfully for Seven, still laughing as she disappears into her office and closes the door behind her.

Seven laughs at Kathryn’s reaction and leans against the kitchen bench, not caring if she gets flour and icing all over her jeans. She thinks about her incredible, sexy wife and their amazing children and sighs contentedly, thinking she must be the luckiest woman in the world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, everyone!

After her meeting, Kathryn leaves her study to join the rest of the family. She barely has her door open before she hears Gretchen’s voice. “Mummy’s done! It’s tree time!!” she announces for everyone else to hear.

Kathryn laughs. “A little keen, are we?”

“Yes!” Gretchen tells her mother. “Come onnnnn….” she grabs Kathryn by the hand and starts to tug her towards the living room. 

“Woah, kiddo,” she says, resisting the tug. “I love the enthusiasm, but I need to get changed first.”

Gretchen quickly changes direction and drags her mother towards the stairs, wanting to make sure she doesn’t waste any time. “We’re going to listen to carols,” she tells Kathryn as she tugs her up the stairs. “And if we’re really good Mama said maybe we can sleep in the living room one night so we can look at the lights on the tree. Like camping,” she informs Kathryn.

“Did she?” she asks. That sounds like a cute idea. She hopes her back will tolerate it, but she’s willing to put up with a few days’ discomfort for the children- it’s nothing compared to what Seven went through carrying them, especially the twins. She pulls a sweater out and goes to start selecting additional items of clothing when Gretchen looks at her pleadingly. She thinks her daughter might explode with excitement, and she’s just about to tell her she’ll be quick when the boys burst into the room through the open door.

“I do star!” Gavin announces. Now that he’s old enough, he’s been told it’s his turn to put the star on top of the tree. Either Seven or Kathryn will lift him to reach, and he’s very excited about being a ‘big boy’ now.

“I know,” Kathryn assures him. “Do you know what real stars are?” she asks her youngest, deciding that she’ll humour the children and break her usual rule about getting changed out of her uniform completely after work. She takes off her jacket and hangs it neatly before pulling a sweater on over the grey top she has on underneath. 

“Hot gas!” he announces proudly. He can’t spell his name yet, but his knowledge of space rivals some adults’. They’ve never forced him to learn about it, but Gavin is a little sponge when it comes to space knowledge, and he’s always keen to suck up more information.

“That’s right,” Kathryn encourages. “Come on, down we go,” she says, leading the children to the stairs. She picks Gavin up to carry him, not comfortable having him walk on the stairs when he’s in an excitable mood. They have a baby gate at the top and bottom, but he’ll still have to walk sensibly down them and that’s not looking likely today. “What do you guys think Mama wants for Christmas?” she asks. She likes the children to think about what others might enjoy for special occasions- she and Seven both agree that it’s good for them to focus on giving rather than receiving, and to stop and consider what others may want or need.  
Gavin is the first to speak up. “Cookies,” he says confidently.

“Ooooh, that’s a good idea,” Kathryn says. “I’m sure she’d love some cookies. What else do you think she might like?” she asks the twins.

“Family time,” they say in unison, glancing at each other and then both starting to giggle. It’s what Seven always says she wants when she’s asked about gifts. As they walk into the living room Seven is just closing a communication channel, clearly having been talking to someone.

“Who was that?” Kathryn asks curiously, depositing Gavin on the floor.

“Santa Claus was checking if the children have been good this year,” she says. It makes Kathryn wonder who was actually on the phone.

“And what did you tell him?” Kathryn feigns wondering what Seven had ‘reported’.

“The truth,” she assures her wife, leaving the children to make their own conclusions about that. Of course, the children are actually quite well-behaved; with Seven’s love of order and efficiency, and Kathryn’s Starfleet background there wasn’t much chance they were going to grow up to be too wild, particularly at their ages.

“Is it too late to be good?” Grady asks, and Kathryn can’t help but laugh.

“You are good,” Kathryn tells her son. “I’m very proud of you, Grady. I’m proud of all of you,” she assures them. “No mother could ever ask for better children.” They all get a little tough love at times, but Kathryn makes sure she balances that with plenty of praise when it’s earned, and an abundance of unconditional love.

Grady steps up to his mother and wraps his little arms around her, giving her a tight hug. “I love you, too, Mummy,” he says. He looks up to both his parents, but it’s no secret that he’s definitely a Mummy’s boy- Kathryn’s love and approval means a lot to him.

Seven’s heart melts at the exchange. She’s so incredibly lucky, and she is grateful for what she has every single day. “We have something extra to add to the decorations this year,” she announces. 

Kathryn ruffles Grady’s hair and stands over next to Seven. There’s an extra box with wrapping paper on it that the children had all been eyeing since it was put out this morning. Gavin had poked at it and tried to peek inside, but Gretchen was the ‘fun police’ and stopped his snooping. “This one is a surprise for all of you,” she says. “So you’ll have to open it together…”

“And assemble it together,” Seven finishes, smiling as Kathryn wraps an arm around her waist.

“So we can open it?” Gretchen asks hopefully.

Kathryn nods her approval and the children all approach the box, excitedly removing the paper to reveal a train set and village to place at the base of the tree. 

“Twain!” Gavin says excitedly. There aren’t really any around for him to ride on anymore, but he’s seen them in books and pictures and has a real fascination with them.

“Ooooh, we can put the track together however we like,” Gretchen says as she reads the box. 

“We could make it weave through some of the buildings,” Grady adds. He undoes the box and starts removing components carefully, handing Gavin the locomotive to play with.

Gavin makes the train fly through the air like a spaceship, and neither Seven nor Kathryn correct him about it- he knows, and he’s being imaginative and playing. Why ruin it for him? 

“I think it’s a hit,” Kathryn tells Seven with a smile, planting a lingering kiss on her cheek.

“I still think you should have let me improve the efficiency of the train,” she tells Kathryn quietly, pretending to sulk about it.

“You would have had it running at full impulse,” Kathryn smirks.

“I don’t see the problem,” Seven counters. 

Kathryn rests her head on Seven’s shoulder and watches the children happily discussing how to set up their new decoration/toy. She lets herself be led to the couch, and sits on Seven’s lap while she watches them. 

“You seem tired,” she whispers to Kathryn, wrapping an arm around her and lovingly runnings her fingers through the older woman’s hair. 

“A little,” Kathryn admits. “Our kids are pretty great, aren’t they?” she asks with a content little sigh.

Seven nods. “So’s their Mummy.” She brings her hand from Kathryn’s hair to the back of her neck and rubs it soothingly. Maybe their ‘early night’ should actually be an ‘early night’. They can work it out once the children are in bed for the night and see how they both feel then. She nods towards Gretchen. “She’s reading the instructions,” she points out quietly.

Kathryn smiles. “Clever like her Mama,” she notes. Grady definitely does his best to emulate Kathryn as much as possible, but Gretchen is very much her own person. Sometimes, though, her mannerisms are so ‘Seven’ that Kathryn thinks that’s what her wife must have been like at the same age.

Seven uses her hand on the back of Kathryn’s neck to gently encourage her closer, kissing her softly then giving her bottom lip a sneaky little suck.

Kathryn brings her hand up to Seven’s cheek and deepens the kiss. She breaks it before things get too out of hand and lets her hand linger, stroking the soft skin on Seven’s cheek. ‘I love you,’ she mouths, her heart rate picking up when Seven mouths it back.

Seven snuggles Kathryn in closer to her and watches the children assemble the train tracks and arrange the houses in the village around them, negotiating the ‘best’ route for the train to take. She continues her gentle massage of Kathryn’s neck until they get up to put the rest of the decorations on the tree. The children take turns placing ornaments with help from their parents, finishing up with Seven lifting Gavin up to place the star on the top of the tree.

“Ready?” Kathryn asks and, when she has received a ‘yes’ or enthusiastic nod for them all, she instructs the computer to dim the living room lights and activate the Christmas lights, smiling as the tree lights up the otherwise-dark room. There’s something extra special and warm about Christmas lights. Technically she is aware they are the same as any other light source, but she reasons that it must be a learned perception. 

Seven and the children let out a series of ‘ooohs’ and ‘pretty!’ before Seven ushers the children and Kathryn in front of the tree for a holo-image, setting the timer so she can be in it with them. She checks the photo and shows it to Kathryn and the kids. “Shall we send this to Grandma?” she asks.

“Can I?” Gretchen requests. Seven nods, and the little girl sets to work typing a message to her grandmother to accompany the image with her two index fingers, pausing to get help with spelling a word here and there.

“Grady, Gavin, do you want to help get the table set for dinner?” Kathryn asks. Knowing it’s really more of an instruction than a request, both boys go to the kitchen to help, although Gavin’s ‘setting’ is only putting his plastic cup on the table.

After they finish their meal and have baths, Kathryn puts the twins to bed while Seven gets Gavin settled. The excitement of the day has Gavin asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow- he doesn’t even ask for story time. Kathryn, on the other hand, regales the twins with tales of some of Naomi Wildman’s adventures on Voyager, telling them all about the little girl who had been born and grown up on a Starship. She’s going to blow their minds one day when they’re able to meet the real Naomi, who has grown up and joined Starfleet herself, and they realise that she isn’t just a made-up character. She can’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more coming very soon! Kathryn is about to get her 'early night'.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the rating change. If smut (even romantic, loving smut) isn't your thing, you can safely skip this chapter because you won't miss any crucial plot points. It's just 5500 words of the ladies getting it on in the sweetest way possible.

When Kathryn finally gets the twins settled she goes downstairs to do one last round of the house, making sure everything is in order and they won’t be coming down to a mess in the morning. A few minutes later she checks all three children on the way back to the bedroom, finding them fast asleep. She closes the door behind her as she leaves each of their rooms, and heads to the ensuite bathroom attached to their bedroom. 

Seven is in a silky robe, brushing her teeth. Her face is clear of make up, and Kathryn takes a moment to admire her natural beauty in the reflection of the mirror. The subtle crows feet at her eyes speak of the moments they’ve smiled together. The slight worry lines on her brow from where she had felt concern for her family, and other faint wrinkles that hadn’t been there when they first started dating, showing the evidence of the years that they have shared together. She gets more beautiful to Kathryn every day.

The taller of the two women smiles around her toothbrush when she catches a glimpse of Kathryn over her shoulder. She winks and continues to brush her teeth. It amazes her that after all this time, Kathryn’s mere presence can have such a strong effect on her. It can excite her beyond words, or bring her comfort and peace like she never thought would be possible. The dichotomy is thrilling, and is one of the many reasons that she will never be bored with Kathryn or in their relationship.

The Admiral takes a step or two forward and carefully pulls Seven’s hair back behind her shoulders. She leans forward and kisses Seven’s shoulder as she reaches for her hair brush, and then carefully and lovingly starts to run it through her lover’s hair, starting at the ends to ensure she doesn’t get snagged in any nasty knots and accidentally pull it. Kathryn pauses for a moment when Seven leans forward to spit and rinse, waiting patiently for her wife to wipe any residual toothpaste from around her mouth.

“I love it when you brush my hair,” Seven says softly, still gazing at Kathryn’s reflection over her shoulder. Kathryn knows this, but Seven doesn’t like for feelings and appreciation to go unspoken. It’s important to her that Kathryn continues to feel valued and appreciated.

“I enjoy brushing it,” the older woman assures her, resuming her attention on the blonde locks in front of her. “It’s getting long.”

“I’m overdue for a hair cut,” Seven acknowledges. She pauses, thinking, before she speaks again. “I think I can get an afternoon appointment between Christmas and New Years if you can take the twins to a play date with—-“

“Nnnn-nnn,” Kathryn chastises lightly. The small sound is something they’ve both used in the past, and is enough for Seven to know what her wife means; this is not time for scheduling and ‘mama mode’, it’s grownup time. 

With three children it’s hard not to let their whole lives be about making sure everything that needs to happen gets slotted into the schedule, and they can each juggle their work and family commitments. They try, though, to keep it to a minimum when they’re getting ready for bed and once they actually get in. They’d gone through a rough patch in the year after the twins had been born, where Seven was (completely understandably!) exhausted all the time, and Kathryn was more stressed than she had ever been, trying to work out how to find enough hours in the day to be a good wife, mother and Starfleet officer. Sex had fallen down the priority list, and their relationship suffered because of it. 

It all came to a head one night when Seven went into Kathryn’s home office to try to encourage her to come up to bed and Kathryn, distracted, hadn’t looked up and had muttered ‘later’ without so much as a second thought. Twenty five minutes later, she had gone upstairs to find Seven laying in bed with her back to the door, attempting to remain silent as she sobbed. Kathryn knew her wife well enough to know that something was wrong, even without hearing her cry, and rushed over to her, only for Seven to break down and all of her insecurities to come flooding out. She told Kathryn she was scared that her wife didn’t find her attractive anymore because of the changes pregnancy had sparked in her body, and that she didn’t think Kathryn saw her as anything other than a food dispenser and babysitter for their children. Certainly not as a lover. 

Kathryn had been shocked, not least because Seven wasn’t typically a crier. She knew that she had been stressed and distracted, and that Seven always seemed tired, so she hadn’t been attempting to initiate sex. On reflection she realised that she also hadn’t been very good at the ‘wife’ part of her three main roles in life. While she was supportive of Seven and helped around the house, she hadn’t romanced her or reminded her that she was in love with her as a person outside of her role as a mother. Attempting to make up for lost time, she had reassured her verbally and then spent the rest of the evening proving physically EXACTLY how attractive she still found her- work, housework and everything else be damned.

Still standing in front of the mirror with their children asleep down the hall, Kathryn shifts Seven’s hair to the side and presses a lingering kiss to the back of her neck. “I like your hair long. It’s beautiful, just like the rest of you.”

“You’re biased,” Seven tells her.

“That doesn’t mean it’s not true,” Kathryn points out. She backs off enough to continue running the hairbrush through Seven’s hair. 

“You’ve been in an extra romantic mood today,” Seven notes, closing her eyes to enjoy having her hair brushed. She reaches behind her to rest a hand on the side of Kathryn’s body, reciprocating the affection.

“Obligations are slowing down for the year. It gives me more time to think about how wonderful you are,” the older woman replies honestly. She finishes brushing Seven’s hair and sets her brush back on the edge of the sink. As she brings her hand back, she rests it on Seven’s stomach, then slowly starts trying to sneak her hand into the front of Seven’s robe, only to be gently swatted away.

“Patience. You can unwrap me when we’re both in bed,” Seven promises, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Kathryn pouts but removes her hand. “So there is something special under there? Other than your body, of course.” She had had an inkling. 

“Get ready for bed and join me and perhaps you can find out,” Seven says playfully. She turns in Kathryn’s arms and allows herself to be pressed back against the sink and kissed gently. “I’ll be waiting.”

Kathryn nods and steps aside, making room for Seven to leave the bathroom and head to bed. She washes her face and brushes her teeth thoroughly, checking her appearance in the mirror. She wishes she had thought ahead and made sure she was wearing something special for Seven. Knowing it’s too late for that now, she picks up a bottle and spritzes a little of the perfume Seven likes most on her. Although Seven deserves something special, Kathryn knows that her wife will love her just as much in her sleeveless Starfleet-issued undershirt and cotton briefs as she will in something elaborate. Next time she will think ahead.

When Kathryn emerges from the bathroom her jaw almost hits the floor. Seven has arranged herself on the bed with her back resting on the headboard. She has opened the robe, letting it fan out around her to reveal a lacy powder blue bra and thong that make Seven’s eyes pop and complement her skin tone and little metal Borg components beautifully. One leg is stretched out in front of her, the other bent at the knee with her foot resting flat on the mattress. Her arms are extended out a little so she can rest a hand on each side of her body, giving Kathryn a completely unobstructed view of her body. She’s stunned and can’t seem to make herself speak, move or even think. 

“Is my appearance adequate?” the younger woman asks, loving the effect she’s managing to have on her wife.

Kathryn shuts her mouth, realising it had been hanging open, and nods. “Oh yes,” she husks, completely in awe of the woman in front of her.

“Will you be touching, or just ogling this evening?” Seven teases with a loving smile.

Kathryn blinks a few times, attempting to find her composure. “You didn’t wear that little ensemble for me to not look,” she counters, trying to regain the upper hand. “You knew the effect it would have on me.”

Seven smiles, looking incredibly relaxed and confident. She knows Kathryn loves and desires her, and is completely at ease with her expressing those feelings. She can’t help it when her heart rate kicks up a notch, though, the anticipation of an evening of lovemaking growing. “I might have had my suspicions,” she concedes.

“I think they were more than suspicions,” Kathryn smirks, advancing slowly towards the bed. She licks her lips slowly, thinking about all of the places on Seven’s body she wants to suck and kiss. When she gets to the foot of the bed she watches as Seven shifts to the end of the bed to meet her, kneeling in front of her wife. 

“Mmm.. you smell nice,” Seven hums as she reaches up and carefully removes the Admiral’s rank badge. “You’re mine, beautiful. Not Starfleet’s,” she says softly. She places the fastener on the back of the badge so neither of them will get poked with it, then brushes her lips lightly against Kathryn’s. “Uniform off, please. If it’s Starfleet-issued I don’t want it in our bed tonight.” Of course, there were nights when Seven did want the Admiral’s uniform, but that’s not what she is after this evening. She just wants her wife.

Kathryn glances down at her clothes. Aside from the civilian sweater she put on earlier she’s all Starfleet, right down to the underwear. “I’ll be naked.”

“Mmm… Merry Christmas to me,” Seven smirks with a waggle of her eyebrows. She shifts to the side of the bed and places both feet on the floor, standing and taking a step towards the dresser. She picks up the wooden box Kathryn keeps her badge in and carefully places the insignia safely in its home before turning back to Kathryn. Seeing the other woman hasn’t moved, she walks over to her and runs her hands slowly up and down Kathryn’s bare upper arms.

Kathryn brings her hand up and lightly slips a single fingertip under one of Seven’s bra straps, running it up and down between the fabric and Seven’s skin slowly. “This is so pretty and delicate. It’s a shame we’ll have to take it off you.”

“It’s not compulsory to remove it…” 

The shorter of the two women frowns a little. “Then how will I get proper access to lavish attention on your beautiful breasts? And to slip inside that delicious, pretty little pussy of yours?”

Seven swallows hard. She may have rendered Kathryn temporarily speechless with her choice of lingerie, but the tables have definitely been turned now. Her nipples harden visibly through the pale blue lace covering her breasts, and all she can do is shrug. 

“As much as I appreciate the offer to leave it on…” Kathryn tells her, slipping the silk robe from Seven’s shoulders and letting it fall to the floor, leaving Seven in just the bra and thong. Her voice is rich and warm, and Seven doesn’t think it could possibly sound sexier- that is, until her wife leans in and licks slowly up her neck from shoulder to just below her ear, grazing her teeth over Seven’s earlobe and whispering. “Absolutely nothing is going to get in the way of me being sweet and gentle tonight and loving every millimetre of your body.”

The younger woman whimpers softly and holds onto Kathryn’s hips, afraid that her knees might give way at any second. Kathryn knows just what to say to push her buttons. She plays Seven like a finely-tuned instrument, already bringing her down from the flirty, challenging mood she was in, into a much calmer headspace where she completely surrenders all thoughts and feelings other than those that Kathryn expertly guides her to feel. 

The Admiral knows that with the correctly chosen words and just the right sort of touches it won’t take her more than ten seconds to have Seven almost mindlessly submissive; completely compliant and obedient; or more aware and participative, entirely tuned in to freely giving and receiving pleasure. It’s this last one Kathryn wants from Seven now, and she rests her hands on her wife’s elbows, slowly letting them trail down so she can hold both of her hands. “Hey. Stay with me, darling,” she requests, wanting to keep Seven from slipping into that submissive headspace. At least she’s relaxed now, and focussed completely on Kathryn rather than the long list of activities and preparations they have to get through in the lead-up to the holiday.

Seven’s eyes shift focus in such a way that Kathryn can actually tell the difference- rather than having a spaced-out gaze, she manages to bring her attention to Kathryn’s face, focussing on her. She nods and takes a breath as Kathryn squeezes her hands gently.

Kathryn presses her lips against Seven’s and rubs her thumbs back and forth over Seven’s hands. “Are you alright?” 

Seven nods, and Kathryn gently guides her back onto the bed, moving to join her when Seven’s leg comes up, her foot resting carefully on Kathryn’s stomach to stop her advances.

“I said no uniform in bed tonight,” the ex-drone reminds her, and Kathryn can’t help but chuckle. 

“Yep, you’re fine,” she confirms as she grins down at her. She takes hold of Seven’s foot and raises her leg a little higher, pressing a kiss to the inside of her ankle. “Underwear off, too?”

“Is it Starfleet issue?” the blonde asks with a quirked brow, already knowing the answer.

“Yes,” Kathryn tells her honestly. She doesn’t need further direction that that, and lowers Seven’s leg, setting her foot on the mattress. “Scoot back up the bed,” she instructs as she removes her undershirt and then her sports bra.

The younger woman complies, resting with her head on the pillow and loose blonde curls falling around her face and shoulders. “You’re so sexy, honey,” Seven tells her sincerely as she lets her eyes travel over the body she is more familiar with than even her own.

“I’m getting old,” Kathryn complains. Although she isn’t wallowing, she’s definitely sharing a tiny insecurity. She removes her uniform pants and underwear in a single motion- she can deal with them in the morning.

“You’re getting older, yes,” Seven agrees, her eyes lingering for a moment at apex of Kathryn’s thighs before making their way back up to her face. “But that’s how human physiology works, and it suits you. You look incredible, and you’re so confident and settled in who you are as a person now. It drives me wild.”

As Seven was regaining her humanity, and when they first returned to Earth, she had admitted to Kathryn that the other woman’s steadiness was reassuring and comforting. It still elicits those feelings in Seven, but they’re more complicated now, mixed in with love and desire as she sees how comfortable Kathryn is in her choices- the steadiness she had in those earlier years of their relationship only increasing as time has passed. She knows who she is, what she wants, and what her priorities are, and Seven and their family are the cornerstone of all three of those things. Seven thinks she should probably find it boring, but knowing that Kathryn has that level of confidence, along with the desire to be a wife to Seven and a mother to their children, and she wakes up every day choosing to be the very best version of both that she can be is the furthest thing from boring that Seven can possibly imagine.

“Wild, hmm?” Kathryn asks playfully as she finally joins Seven on the bed. She straddles the younger woman’s hips leans forward, kissing the side of her neck.

“I was attempting to be romantic,” Seven pouts, letting out a happy sigh and resting her hands on Kathryn’s thighs. “It hardly felt like the time to use the term ‘sexually arousing’.”

“I think you just did,” Kathryn laughs quietly, shifting so she’s settled a little lower on Seven’s hips and bringing her lips to Seven’s in a gentle kiss. She loves how playful they can be in bed together. It reinforces for Kathryn how at-ease they are in each other’s presence.

“At least I’m not the only one who’s aroused right now,” Seven comments, reaching down and running her finger through the little damp patch Kathryn left on her lower abdomen and holding her fingertip up for the older woman to see.

Kathryn’s cheeks colour a little. “Alert the presses- married woman is physically attracted to her drop dead gorgeous wife.”

Seven knows Kathryn is playing, and keeps the banter going. “Oh no-no,” she says, shaking her head and sneaking her hand down lower. She angles her wrist and slides her thumb between her stomach and Kathryn’s body, finding her slippery clit with practiced ease and rubbing it gently. “Nobody gets to know about this but me.”

Kathryn gasps quietly and closes her eyes for a moment, revelling in the pleasure Seven is bringing her with her thumb. “God, that’s perfect,” she encourages Seven, feeling the wetness between her thighs grow. “Don’t change a thing.”

Seven smiles and leans up just a fraction for a kiss. When Kathryn obliges, she lowers her head to the pillow again and trusts that the Admiral will follow so their lips remain joined. The taller of the two women rests her left hand right at the top of Kathryn’s thigh, where it meets her hip, and squeezes gently. It’s the closest she will ever get to Kathryn’s sex with her cybernetics, refusing categorically to touch between her lover’s legs with the technology-enhanced hand, despite Kathryn reassuring her she loves all of Seven and wouldn’t mind. “You’re so lovely and wet for me,” Seven encourages. She switches from her thumb to her index and middle fingers, finding the previous angle uncomfortable for her wrist, but maintains the speed and pressure Kathryn seems to be enjoying. “Does that feel good, honey?” she coos.

“Exquisite,” Kathryn confirms. She cups one of Seven’s breasts in her hand, lifting and squeezing gently. 

Seven sighs happily and arches into the touch, the movement shifting her hips up so she presses more firmly against Kathryn’s clit.  
“Oooh…” the older woman moans. When Seven lowers her hips again, Kathryn lowers herself more fully onto her girlfriend, attempting to maintain the delicious pressure Seven had been giving her.

Seven holds Kathryn close with her other arm now, wanting her to feel loved and protected while she pleasures her. “I love you so much,” she whispers as she keeps moving her fingers. “You’re so beautiful and sexy… Such a good wife. So smart and so confident. I can never get enough of you.” She lavishes her wife with sweet, sincere compliments, speaking from the heart.

Kathryn whimpers softly and feels a fresh flood of wetness escape her. She doesn’t know whether it hits Seven’s fingers or her stomach, but from the renewed slickness and speed she knows that Seven has used it to coax the little bundle of nerves from its hiding place and send what feels like electric shocks throughout her body.

“All mine,” Seven whispers in Kathryn’s ear. She keeps her touch lighter now, knowing that barely grazing the pad of her finger over Kathryn’s exposed clit would be overwhelmingly stimulating. “Mine to hold and kiss and please, just like you deserve.” She brushes her lips tenderly against Kathryn’s temple and keeps going. “You know you deserve this, don’t you? Deserve to be loved. Deserve to be pleasured. Deserve to come for me…”

The last line is all it takes, and Kathryn lets out a slightly strangled cry, her mouth falling open and her back arching as her body coils and then releases with a cry. “Ohhh my god,” she murmurs a few seconds later as she lays on top of Seven, letting her body weight rest there. “You’re incredible,” she adds breathlessly, resting her head on Seven’s shoulder while she recovers. 

The younger blonde leaves her right hand where it is for now, keeping it still so her fingers don’t overstimulate Kathryn’s sensitive clit. She brings her left hand up to stroke Kathryn’s hair, kissing the top of her head. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, my love.”

The older woman hums. “Give me a minute and I’ll return the favour,” Kathryn offers.

“Can I remove my hand?” Seven asks. Receiving a nod, she takes the hand that is between Kathryn’s legs and rests it on her naked back to steady her, both arms now wrapped around her lover. “Don’t worry about that right now,” she encourages. “Just relax, honey. We have all night.”

Kathryn is grateful for the reminder. Seven is right- they don’t need to rush. Things had escalated a little quicker than Kathryn had intended; her plan was to lay Seven down and slowly worship every part of her body before taking it all the way, but she wouldn’t trade what just happened between them for anything. She lays in comfortable silence and allows herself to relax, enjoying the warmth of her lover’s skin.

“Breathe,” Seven whispers as she strokes Kathryn’s back lovingly. “You’re so beautiful when you come for me.”

Kathryn smiles and rests her hand on Seven’s abdomen, stroking lazily. She doesn’t feel like talking now, and she knows she doesn’t need to. Things are fine just as they are. Occasionally she pauses the stroking to trace lightly around the perimeter of one of Seven’s implants. Although they’re symbols of something difficult she went through, Seven has long-since come to peace with them. Kathryn finds the intricate shapes quite beautiful and Seven is happy to indulge her.

After a few minutes of laying in comfortable silence, Seven speaks. “Do you remember Christmas Eve the year we were first back on Earth?”

“When I proposed? No, no memory of it,” Kathryn grins, her senses having started to return to her.

Seven laughs quietly and runs her fingers through Kathryn’s hair. “I was thinking more about what happened afterwards.”

Kathryn groans and hides her face against Seven. “How could I forget? I wish we both could, though.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Seven laughs. 

“That’s a matter of opinion,” Kathryn gripes, covering her face with her hand.

“It was an accident,” Seven consoles her good-naturedly.

“I kicked the Christmas tree while I was going down on you and it fell on us!” she says with an exasperated tone.

Seven grins broadly. “It’s still my favourite sex mishap.”

Kathryn chuckles. “Trust you to have a ranked list for that.”

Seven shrugs, not embarrassed in the slightest. She can’t change who she is, and neither of them want her to. “The lights on the tree really were romantic,” she tells Kathryn. They had been sitting in a darkened room, illuminated only by glittering yellow-gold Christmas lights on the tree when Kathryn had pulled out the ring and asked Seven to marry her, telling her that she didn’t want to start the new year without Seven as her wife. Thankfully, they had always said they would rather elope than have a big wedding, so elaborate planning wasn’t necessary and they were married in front of Kathryn’s immediate family, Seven’s aunt and a small handful of their very closest friends on New Year’s Eve.

“They were,” Kathryn agrees. “You know, I bought that ring the week we got back to Earth. I carried it with me every day until I proposed. I can’t tell you the number of times you almost found it in my pocket or a bag.”

Seven furrows her brow and shifts to look at Kathryn’s face. She didn’t know that. “Why did you wait so long?”

“I was afraid you’d say no,” Kathryn admits. 

“What happened to ‘fortune favours the brave’?”

Kathryn rests her hand over Seven’s heart and tilts her head up to look at Seven. “It’s far less daunting facing hostile species in battle than it was risking you turning me down.”

Seven shakes her head. “‘No’ was never even considered. Saying yes to marrying you was the easiest decision I have ever made. And the best.”

“What about deciding to have the children?” Kathryn asks. She’s expecting to be bumped down the list a little, but she’s okay with that when it’s the children who are coming first.

Seven shakes her head no. “I love them with every fibre of my being, but they wouldn’t have been born if we hadn’t been together, and even if they had, they wouldn’t have turned out the way they are without you helping me raise them. That one ‘yes’ led to so many other positive things in my life, Kathryn.”

The older woman smiles and finally moves, cupping Seven’s cheek and kissing her tenderly. “You are such an incredible wife and mother,” she whispers. “I love you so much, Seven.”

“I love you, too,” Seven replies, parting her legs a little so Kathryn can settle comfortably between them. “Thank you for helping me create our family.”

Kathryn settles comfortably between Seven’s thighs and kisses her lips again before turning her attention to her jaw, pressing tiny kisses along it. She pauses for a moment and lets her eyelashes flutter against Seven’t cheek, teasing softly and gently.

“Kitten…” Seven murmurs happily, feeling all warm and fuzzy.

Kathryn nuzzles Seven’s neck when the younger woman calls her by her special nickname. She smiles against the skin there. “Annie…”

Seven sighs happily and encourages Kathryn back up to kiss her mouth again. In these moments, when Kathryn is ‘Kitten’, Seven is ‘Annie’. Although her birth name is on all of her official documentation, she is introduced to people as Seven, or Seven of Nine, and even Kathryn calls her Seven under normal circumstances. When they had started with pet names for each other, it was always ‘Annika’, but over the years Kathryn had felt that was too formal for situations like this, despite being the only one who is ‘allowed’ to call Seven Annika, and it had more and more frequently become ‘Annie’ until that is what stuck. “I’m so in love with you,” she whispers between kisses, her hands sneaking down a little lower to explores Kathryn’s hips and buttocks.

“And I with you,” Kathryn whispers back. She trails her fingers so lightly over Seven’s thighs that the touch almost tickles. “Every second I spent lost in the Delta Quadrant was worth it to have met you.”

Seven will never get tired of hearing Kathryn say that. The first time she had, Seven had protested, but upon Kathryn’s insistence the younger woman now accepts it as fact. She abandons her butt and slides her fingers into her lover’s hair, holding her near as she sucks lightly on Kathryn’s bottom lip and earning herself a noise somewhere between a whimper and a moan.

Kathryn needs to feel more of Seven’s skin, so she decides it’s time for her wife’s bra to go. She shifts to the side a little to remove some of her weight from Seven, making it easier to slide her hand between the taller woman and the mattress. She rolls onto her side then, taking Seven with her so they are laying face to face, their legs tangled together. Kathryn feels around then, searching for the clasp of Seven’s bra. She’s confused for a moment and frowns slightly, causing Seven to release her lip.

“It’s in the front,” she whispers amusedly. 

“Sneaky,” Kathryn grins, wondering how she hadn’t noticed that earlier. She slides down and squeezes one of Seven’s breasts, sucking at the nipple of the other breast through the sheer lace. 

Seven moans quietly. “Easier access,” she explains, arching her back to try and accept more of Kathryn’s attention, simultaneously rocking her hips forward to press her centre against Kathryn’s thigh. 

“That didn’t exactly go according to plan, did it?” Kathryn asks with a smirk, teasing herself about her inability to locate the clasp, rather than criticising Seven’s choice.

“Still better than the Christmas tree incident,” Seven teases playfully.

“Seven of Nine, I swear I will work you up and not finish you off,” Kathryn tells her in mock warning at the gentle teasing, grinning broadly. 

Seven pouts playfully. “Kitten wouldn’t do that to her Annie,” she says, and she has Kathryn immediately back where she wants her- in that lovey-dovey, ‘I’d do anything to show you how much I love you’ mode.

The older woman cups Seven’s cheek tenderly and kisses her again. “You’re stunning,” she compliments her. With that, she moves her fingers between Seven’s breasts, tracing the valley of her cleavage before easily locating the clasp now and flicking it open with practiced ease.

Seven lets out a sigh of relief as Kathryn finally allows the cups of the restrictive garment to fall aside. She kisses Kathryn’s lips and gazes deeply into her eyes. “You are the reason I realised that beauty is far from irrelevant.”

Kathryn blushes slightly at that. She has heard it before, but every time Seven reminds her it has the same effect. She brushes her lips against Seven’t again, then presses a kiss to the skin just next to the starburst implant in front of Seven’s ear. “If you give me a few minutes I hope to make you realise that pleasure isn’t irrelevant, either.”

The taller of the two moans softly. She knows it’s a line, so she doesn’t correct Kathryn, but pleasure hasn’t been irrelevant since the first time Kathryn touched her. It was only an accident at the time- their hands both reaching for the control panel in astrometrics, and their fingers brushing against each other- but for Seven it was electric. It had awakened something in her she didn’t know existed, and she knew from that moment that she would never again discount the importance of how Kathryn’s touch could make her feel.

Kathryn starts to press gentle, loving kisses to Seven’s jaw. She uses a single fingertip to circle her wife’s nipple slowly, getting close but not quite touching it. She loves teasing the sensitive bundles of flesh into stiff peaks, seeing Seven’s body respond and knowing it’s her who made it react like that. “I love you,” Kathryn whispers as she starts to kiss lower, bypassing the obvious target of Seven’s neck in favour of her shoulders and clavicle. 

Seven knows, when Kathryn skips her neck, that her intention is to make sure she shows her that love in the sweetest, purest way possible. Kathryn’s lips on her neck excite Seven too much to let her be patient and take her time. It will be left for later. Seven will wait, of course, but gets whiny and needy rather than being able to relax and just accept the affection. There are days when that whining and neediness is exactly what her wife wants from her, but not today. “I love you, too,” she whispers back, settling as Kathryn’s kisses move to her upper arms.

“There are so many reasons I fell for you, Seven, and even more that will keep me with you for the rest of our lives.” She palms Seven’s right breast gently and runs her thumb over her nipple. 

Some days, Seven would make a joke about Kathryn squeezing one of those reasons right now, but she’s feeling so soft and relaxed right now that banter is the furthest thing from her mind. “Tell me?” Seven whispers hopefully. She lets her eyes slip shut and rests both palms flat on the bed, letting herself receive without having to focus on reciprocating.

Kathryn gazes deeply into Seven’s eyes, hoping to convey all of the warmth and love she feels right now. She leans in and kisses her lips softly before whispering with a smile. “With pleasure.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little less Christmas-y, but brings in some of the domesticity that some of you like. We'll get back to Christmas, I promise. Enjoy!

The next morning Kathryn wakes before her wife and sighs quietly. Her front is pressed against Seven’s back, and she has an arm draped over her, keeping Seven close while they slept, and Seven is holding the arm to her body, doing her own part to keep Kathryn near. She shifts to stretch, but on instinct Seven tightens her hold on Kathryn’s arm, keeping it wrapped around her. The older woman smiles at the gesture and settles back into her pillow. The night before had been _very_ enjoyable for Kathryn, and if the number of times Seven orgasmed was any indication, then she was far from dissatisfied with the experience, too. 

It’s still dark outside, and Kathryn finds herself wondering how long she can luxuriate in this uninterrupted quiet with Seven before the children are awake and wanting breakfast. She takes the time to snuggle in to Seven’s back, enjoying her position as the big spoon, even if it meant waking up to a face full of hair most mornings. It’s not much later that she hears Seven’s breathing start to change as she stirs. 

“G’morning,” she mumbles sleepily, bringing Kathryn’s hand to her lips to give it a kiss.

“Good morning,” Kathryn replies warmly. “How did you sleep?” Seven had long-since determined a way to sleep rather than regenerate most nights, and Kathryn loves that she can fall asleep and wake up next to the woman she loves more than life itself.

“Very well. Someone tired me out last night,” she admits, gently lowering Kathryn’s hand again. She trails her fingertips up and down Kathryn’s forearm then, just once before Kathryn takes control of her arm back and gently caresses Seven’s ribs and stomach. “Did you sleep well?” the ex-drone asks.

“Like a log,” the older of the two replies with a smile. She presses a soft kiss to Seven’s bare skin. “You were spectacular last night.” She nuzzles Seven’s hair and smiles as she thinks back over what they did together. 

Seven’s cheeks colour a little at the memory. “If I recall correctly it wasn’t a solo effort,” she compliments Kathryn. “I don’t remember the last time I felt so cherished and loved.” Of course, Kathryn always makes her feel special, and not a day goes by without them ensuring the other knows she is loved beyond measure, but the night before definitely took that feeling of appreciation to the next level for Seven.

Kathryn wouldn’t mind seeing a ‘solo effort’, she decides. She keeps her thoughts on the present, though- why would she waste time fantasising when she’s experiencing perfection in the here and now? “I love everything we do, but I’m glad we made time to slow things down so I could be extra attentive.”

“I’m glad we did, too,” Seven tells her sincerely. Even after all of this time, Kathryn’s natural inclination towards expressing love and affection with touch hasn’t diminished. Seven knows it’s important for Kathryn to be able to express herself physically, and she’s more than happy to be on the receiving end of her wife’s attention. Sometimes Seven feels like if she doesn’t express verbally all of the thoughts and feelings she’s having towards her wife she may burst. She wonders if that’s how Kathryn feels about not having time to touch as much or as thoroughly as she would like. Perhaps these longer, sweeter sessions allow her to ‘get things off her chest’ that otherwise feel like they’re being bottled up.

“I don’t want to ruin the mood, but what time is it?” Seven asks after a few minutes, letting her eyes open a crack. She glances at the clock then rubs her eyes. “As much as I want to stay in bed, can we get showered and head downstairs to work out logistics for the next few days, please?” she requests. 

Kathryn lets out a reluctant sigh. “Mhmm… Would you like first shower?” she offers. She knows that showering together will not leave any time for a proper conversation before the kids are up.

Seven turns over in Kathryn’s arms and presses a quick kiss to her lips, getting out of bed then by way of reply. She rolls her eyes when Kathryn whistles playfully at her naked form. “Didn’t you see enough of it last night?”

“Never,” Kathryn grins. 

“Good,” Seven tells her, resting her hands back on the bed to brace her as she leans in and tugs Kathryn’s earlobe gently between her teeth, whispering seductively. “Because if you’re a good girl I have another outfit for tonight.”

Kathryn groans and rolls onto her back, sprawling out with a smile. “You’re killing me.”

Seven smirks and shrugs. “Maybe. But what a way to go.”

When they’re both downstairs and showered, Seven pours the coffee she made for Kathryn into a mug while Kathryn puts bread in the toaster. The older of the two sets out bowls for the children’s breakfast and takes the handful of spoons that Seven gives her, laying them out on the table while Seven butters their toast and adds peanut butter for Kathryn, and strawberry jam for herself. Their morning routine runs like a well-oiled machine, and in no time at all they’re both sitting at the table ready to discuss the last of their Christmas preparations and what would be going on over the next few days.

“I have meetings all morning,” Kathryn tells Seven, taking her first glorious sip of coffee for the day. “But you’re not working again until after Christmas, right?”

Seven nods. “But I have to pick up a few things today, and I have an appointment this afternoon.”

“An appointment?” Kathryn asks, furrowing her brow.

“Yes. It’s just a… thing,” she tells Kathryn, brushing it off. “Oh, and I meant to talk to you- I told Grady we would discuss whether or not we thought building a catapult was an appropriate activity for while you and Gretchen are baking later.”

Kathryn doesn’t like this. It isn’t like Seven to be vague, or to be less than transparent with her. She considers pressing her, but given it’s just before Christmas she assumes it might be gift preparation, so she lets it slide. “As long as he doesn’t use it to attack anything that breathes I can’t see why not…”

“He wants it for snowball fights,” Seven tells her.

Kathryn bites her toast and shrugs. “What do you think?”

“If we build it he will use it. I don’t like the idea of its application being sending projectiles- even if it’s just snowballs- at people.” Neither of them really want the children using weapons as playthings. It’s one thing to have a snowball fight, but if they allow a catapult, where do they draw the line? 

“Can we make him a target?” Kathryn suggests. “That way he’ll have something to aim at that isn’t going to end up with two pissed off Klingon parents banging on our door.” Grady’s friend’s parents were usually very nice, reasonable people, but their inner Klingon did get a little ‘sensitive’ one day after Grady had been particularly successful in defeating their son.

Seven laughs at the mental image. “Okay. So we’re agreed that he can build it, but if he uses it on anything other than the target it gets disassembled?” 

Kathryn nods and takes a drink of her coffee. “Mhmm… Oh! The kids said something about sleeping in the living room with the tree?” she recalls.

“I thought we could do that before we pull it down,” Seven suggests. “I hope you don’t mind, it was a spur of the moment suggestion.”

“Of course I don’t,” Kathryn reassures her. “After Christmas so there’s no snooping?” she suggests. She watches Seven open her mouth. “And no, you can’t just erect a forcefield around it.”

“No efficiency improvements for the train and no forcefield? My talents are wasted in this house,” Seven says with faux exasperation.

“Your talents are appreciated and admired as a much-loved member of our family,” Kathryn corrects her, knowing Seven isn’t serious. “I want the children to learn self-control,” she tells her. 

“A little shock from a level four forcefield would certainly assist in the process,” Seven says playfully. “Is it still Pavolvian if it’s negative stimuli?”

Kathryn laughs and steals half of one of Seven’s slices of toast, replacing it with half of one of her own. “You do realise that one day someone is going to hear you say something like that and think you’re serious?”

Seven is about to retort when she looks up, smiling as Gretchen walks into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. “Good morning,” the ex-drone says. “You’re up early. You didn’t want to sleep in while you’re on winter break?”

Gretchen shakes her head and walks over, crawling onto Seven’s lap for a cuddle. She’s an early riser, but it takes her a while to wake up in the morning. Seven is sure that when she’s older she’ll have a caffeine habit that rivals Kathryn’s. 

“Is Grady awake?” Kathryn asks, earning another head shake. She wonders how old the twins will be when they finally agree to sleep in separate bedrooms. They each have their own room, but they rotate between the two, preferring to keep each other company. She supposes if they don’t get there on their own, she and Seven will have to be a bit more ‘encouraging’ about it at some stage, but for now it’s cute.  
Seven keeps an arm around Gretchen to stop her sliding off her lap while she wakes up, and continues to eat with her free hand, having her quiet conversation with Kathryn. “I’ll cook dinner tonight,” she offers. 

“I’ll help,” Gretchen volunteers, starting to wake up properly now. “Did grandma write back?” she asks her mothers.

“We haven’t had a chance to look, but we can after breakfast,” Kathryn says, reaching out to rub Gretchen’s back gently.

“Mama?” Gretchen asks quietly.

“Yes?” Seven replies, letting go as Gretchen slides off her lap and onto her feet. The little girl goes about helping herself to breakfast then, knowing how to put fruit and cereal together to make an appropriate serving for herself. 

“In school we learned about aerodynamics,” she says, picking up a stray blueberry that lands on the table and popping it in her mouth. “But only on Earth. Not in space.”

“Okay…” Seven says slowly. They’re both capable of answering, but usually these questions tend to be directed at Kathryn for some reason.

Gretchen picks up the milk carefully in two hands and pours it onto her cereal, setting the jug down again on the table without spilling any. She plops herself on her chair then and picks up her spoon. “The teacher said that flat surfaces don’t move through the air as easily.”

“That can be true,” Seven confirms, wondering where this is going. “But it depends on their orientation. If they are trying to move with the flat surface going against the airflow or not.” She uses her last half-slice of toast to demonstrate. “If it’s like this,” she says, slowly moving the toast perpendicular to the table. “Then it has to push through a lot of air so it’s hard to move. But if it’s like this…” she makes the toast parallel to the table. “It moves forwards through the air easily, and the object can take off if the correct forces are applied. Then they’re like wings.”

“So they’re inefficient, right? When they’re flat like before?” She tucks into her breakfast then, watching for her mother’s response while she chews.

“Typically, yes,” Seven agrees.

Gretchen raises her eyebrow exactly the way Seven does when she’s considering something, then stops the line of questioning. 

Seven glances at Kathryn who shrugs as if to say ‘I don’t know what’s going on any more than you do.’

“Why do you ask?” Seven follows up.

Gretchen shrugs. “Just wondering.” She turns her full attention to her breakfast then, leaving both of her mothers slightly confused, but not overly concerned.

“Did you talk about what forces are involved in flight?” Seven asks.

The little girl chews and swallows, then nods. “Lift, thrust, load and drag.”

“Impressive,” Seven comments. She hadn’t expected them to have covered that yet, but it seems the children are being challenged at school, which is exactly what she and Kathryn wanted. They had been quite deliberate in their choice of school, wanting the twins to have the option for accelerated learning and to conduct ‘special interest’ projects as part of their education, where they can explore topics of interest to them and have guidance provided by their teachers. Perhaps learning about aerodynamics and the mechanics of flight is one of those projects.

“When lift plus thrust is greater than load plus drag, things can fly,” Gretchen parrots.

“Do you know what that means?” Seven asks. It’s one thing to memorise a line, but actually being able to grasp the concept is entirely different. She smiles as Gretchen launches into a fairly simplistic but surprisingly detailed and accurate explanation. By the time Gretchen has finished, Grady has joined them and Kathryn has brought Gavin down for breakfast. 

“Was that because you asked about the Borg thing?” Grady asks his sister, and the three females in the room freeze. The young boy feels six eyes trained on him. “What?” he asks innocently.

“Grady!” Gretchen scowls at her brother. “You weren’t meant to say anything.”

“It’s not like it’s a secret,” he defends himself.

“You know she doesn’t like talking about it,” Gretchen argues with him.

“‘She’ is right here,” Seven reminds them. She keeps her tone calm and even, but she doesn’t think she likes that they’re talking about the Borg behind her back- or at all, in fact. She glances at Kathryn who offers what she hopes is a sympathetic smile. She brushes imaginary crumbs off the table and then looks at the twins. “What’s this about?”

The twins look at each other, and Seven wonders if they’re doing the telepathic twin thing that she has read about. ‘Wonderful- a collective of two,’ she thinks grimly. 

Kathryn rests her hand on Seven’s knee under the table and waits patiently. She doesn’t want to intervene here, she wants to support Seven and let her handle it her way. They had talked about this before they started their family, and agreed that as much as possible, all questions would be answered by Seven herself. She doesn’t want Gavin to be involved in this conversation since he doesn’t even know what a Borg is, but she waits anyway. She trusts Seven to have the situation under control.

Gretchen shakes her head no. “We’re not meant to say the ‘B’ word in front of Gavin,” she reminds her mother, hoping to get out of this discussion by reminding her of the rules.

The youngest of the family looks up with curious blue eyes, his face sporting some of the cereal he had been eating. “Whatta ‘B word’?”

“Baby,” Gretchen offers, attempting to be helpful.

“Mama having a baby?” Gavin asks excitedly.

Kathryn pinches the bridge of her nose. Life is never dull with her family. As adorably inquisitive as the children are, they’ve hit on two sore points in one conversation- Seven’s Borg past, and (although none of the children were aware of it) the couple’s struggle to have a fourth child.

Seven looks directly at the twins. “We’ll finish this conversation when Gavin is having his nap,” she tells them. “In the mean time, think about what it is you would like to know, and I’ll do my best to answer. I don’t want you talking about the “B word” behind my back or learning about it on the playground. You are correct, I don’t enjoy talking about it, but if you have questions you come to me.”

“It’s not even that bad,” Grady tells his mother nonchalantly. “We just wanted to know why they’re cubes when cubes aren’t aerodynamic.” 

Seven glances at Kathryn. Maybe they should just rip it off like a band-aid, rather than drawing it out all day and waiting to have the conversation later. Gavin isn’t following what’s going on anyway. “Sometimes they are spheres,” she informs the children. “But each vessel has its own tactical advantages and disadvantages, as well as its own purpose- which we can cover another day. To answer your question about aerodynamics, though, they do not matter in space the way they do on earth, as there is no atmosphere for them to move through.”

“See? It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Grady prompts his sister. 

“Thank you, Mama,” Gretchen says, ignoring her twin. He could be annoying sometimes. 

“You’re welcome,” Seven tells them. “Please don’t feel like you have to wonder. I’d much prefer you ask. Whether I like it or not, it’s part of my past, and you have a right to honest answers. I won’t always give you every detail, but I will never lie, and I will tell you the truth at a level which I believe is appropriate for your age.”

The twins nod, while Gavin remains completely oblivious, much more interested in his cereal.

“Grady, finish up,” Kathryn prompts him. “We need to get started on the Stollen before my meetings today so that we can finish them this afternoon.”

Grady nods, taking a hint when he’s given one, and quickly finishes up his breakfast. He stands up to take his bowl to the replicator to recycle it, pressing a kiss to Seven’s cheek on his way past, his own little way of saying ‘sorry’. 

Gretchen follows suit, kissing both of her mothers on the cheek and then leaving to change out of her pyjamas and get ready for the day.

“Are you okay?” Kathryn asks when the twins have left. She rubs Seven’s thigh soothingly, not wanting her to feel like she’s alone in this.

Seven nods. “We knew they’d start asking more questions as they got older. I have to admit, though, I didn’t think it would be about the aerodynamics of a Borg cube.”

“Well, they have your brains,” Kathryn reminds her wife. “They were always going to be advanced.”  
“I don’t want them to develop a strong interest in this,” she tells Kathryn. She’s scared, if she’s honest, that they will end up like her own parents, and their fascination with the Borg will end in disaster. “And I don’t want them learning about it from other children.”

“I know,” Kathryn assures her. She squeezes Seven’s knee, prompting the younger woman to look at her. “We have this under control. We talked about it and we know how we want to deal with it. It’s going to be fine,” she says reassuringly. 

“You’re right,” Seven agrees. She certainly _hopes_ Kathryn is right, anyway. The younger woman stands and presses her lips gently to Kathryn’s. “I’m going to get Gavin out of his pyjamas.”

Kathryn lets her hand and gaze linger on Seven, silently telling her ‘I’m here for you’. She offers Seven a smile that helps the nervousness in the ex-drone’s stomach start to ease. “Love you.”

Seven smiles back at Kathryn then, a warm, genuine smile. “I love you, too.”


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the morning is comparatively uneventful. Kathryn spends some time baking with Grady before work, and Seven bundles all three children up in thick coats, hats and gloves to go for a walk. 

“Is everyone warm enough?” she asks.

“I’m roasting,” Gretchen complains, tugging at her coat.

“Good,” Seven grins, adjusting Gretchen’s hat so it is sitting straight on her head. “You’ll be more comfortable soon,” she assures her, knowing the cold will get to her daughter after a few minutes.

When they get to the park the twins stay closer to Seven and their younger brother attempts to rush off ahead, having plenty of energy to expend. “Gavin looks like a dumpling with legs,” Grady laughs, watching as his brother hobbles along ahead of them, his arms and legs covered in his warm snow suit and making his walking even less coordinated than usual.

“Be nice,” Seven chides gently, although she agrees he looks funny. Funny and cute. Her waddling little ball of adorableness. She rolls her eyes at herself- she really is clucky. Satisfied that he is occupied, she turns her attention to her older children. “Can we talk about what came up at breakfast this morning, please?” It isn’t exactly a request, more like an introduction to the topic.

Gretchen is still reticent, but Grady has no such reservations. “We were talking about aerodynamics at school,” he tells Seven. “And then yesterday Gretchen and I were talking about my catapult and if I’m allowed to make one we could see what shape snowball flies better.”

“I see…” Seven says. She thinks she sees where this is going now.

“Then I just wondered about the cubes,” Gretchen says shyly.

“It’s okay, Gretchen,” Seven assures her. “It’s normal to be curious.” She keeps a close eye on Gavin as he plays. “Do either of you have any other questions? While we’re talking about it?”

Gretchen chews her bottom lip and looks up at her mother. “Why does it make you sad?” she asks.

“That’s a clever question,” Seven praises. She wants Gretchen to feel comfortable asking her about these things. Or anything, for that matter. “Imagine if every morning you woke up and you didn’t get to make any choices for yourself,” she says. “You couldn’t choose what you wanted to wear, or what toys you wanted to play with- in fact, you didn’t even get to play. There weren’t hugs and kisses and families. All you did was work, and you didn’t even get to choose what work it was that you did.” It’s the simplest explanation she can think of for them, and she hopes it resonates. 

“That doesn’t sound very fun,” Gretchen admits. She thinks about it a little more. “Is that why when we ask you what you want for Christmas and birthdays and stuff you always say family time?” It was kind of a running joke, but perhaps her Mama had more serious reasons for requesting it.

Seven nods. “Maybe. I love Mummy, and I love all of you. Being with you makes me happy. If I could choose anything to do in the whole universe it would be spending time with you.” She pauses to consider it more deeply. Family is important to her, and that’s part of the reason she and Kathryn wanted children of their own- and not just one or two. Seven has very few relatives on her side of the family, and Kathryn’s side is spread all over the quadrant. They both always wanted the children to have multiple siblings so they would have someone they could rely on unconditionally, even after their mothers are gone. That, and she and Kathryn enjoy nurturing them and seeing them develop into wonderful, unique little individuals. Deciding the children don’t need to know that- at least yet- she smiles. “Why wouldn’t I ask for the thing that makes me most happy?”

Gretchen can see the logic in that. She picks up a stick and uses it to poke at the snow as they walk along, satisfied for now that her question has been answered.

“What about you, Grady? You’re being uncharacteristically quiet,” Seven prompts her eldest.

“Do you think the Borg will ever join the Federation?” he asks. “Or maybe a Borg will join Starfleet? Not ones like you who used to be Borg. Proper ones.”

Seven fights a smirk. Of course Grady’s question would relate to Starfleet. “I don’t know,” she admits. “I doubt it, though. The Federation and Starfleet both embrace individuality. The Borg don’t appreciate the individual differences- they want everyone to be the same.”

“But wouldn’t that mean that everyone is smarter?” Grady reasons.

“To an extent,” Seven agrees. “But it also means that nobody is special anymore. If we’re all the same we lose what makes us ‘us’.” She isn’t sure she’s getting her point across. “You’re brave and honest, and you know more about Starfleet than any other child I know,” she says. “Those things make you special. Gretchen is caring and thoughtful and a strong leader. She always stands up for people she cares about. Part of the reason you love each other and enjoy playing together is because of what makes you unique, and it’s part of the reason Mummy and I love you each so much. There is nobody else exactly like you.” Grady narrows his eyes slightly as he attempts to understand. “Imagine if Mummy and I were both Admirals. Or both told the same bedtime stories and cooked the same food for you. It would be boring, and it wouldn’t matter to you if something happened to one of us, because you had another one exactly like her.”

“I’d miss you,” Grady tries to argue.

“But you wouldn’t,” Seven points out. “Because there wouldn’t be anything to miss. You would have everything I say and do when you talk to Mummy.” 

Grady considers that. He can see Seven’s point, but he does think that it might be nice sometimes to have a ‘backup’ Mama and a ‘backup’ Mummy. Just in case. “That makes sense,” he decides.

Seven rests her hand on Grady’s head and rubs it through his knitted hat. “It’s important to be different, Grady. Don’t ever change who you are for anyone else. You’re irreplaceable.” 

Grady reaches out to hold his mother’s gloved hand, swinging their arms where they’re joined.

“Any more questions?”

“Do the Borg have Christmas?” Grady asks.

“No,” Seven tells him, glad for a ‘lighter’ question.

“Hannukah?” Gretchen tries.

“Also no.”

“Kwanzaa? Prixin? Kal Rekk?”

“No, no, and definitely not,” Seven smiles, amused by that. “No holidays at all. Next question.”

“Was it cool getting to be human again?” Gretchen wonders.

“To an extent. It was as complicated at first. I had to learn how to be an individual again.”

“Weird,” the little girl decides. She isn’t thinking about the implications too much. “Do you think Mummy was scared of you?”

Seven furrows her brow at that. She suspects Kathryn was, to an extent, and she can’t blame her for that. “I don’t know. Mummy is courageous, but when they’re part of a collective Borg aren’t usually very friendly. You should ask her.”

“Why didn’t you ask her before?” Grady wonders.

Seven sighs quietly. “What matters to me is how Mummy feels about me now,” she explains. “I wasn’t myself when we met, so it’s not really like she was meeting ‘me’. Then I slowly became less Borg and more human, and Mummy and I fell in love.”

“And then you came back to the Alpha Quadrant and you got married and had us and lived happily ever after,” he finishes the story.

“There were some steps in between, but that’s more or less what happened, yes.”

“Do Borg have Captains and Admirals?” Grady asks.

“No. There is a different sort of command structure.” She doesn’t want to talk about the Borg Queen- the word ‘Queen’ seems like she’s glorifying her.

“Did you have Christmases _before_ you were Borg?” Gretchen asks. The questions are flowing out of both of them now, and when they aren’t overly serious Seven is quite relaxed answering them.

“Probably, but I don’t remember,” she admits.

“What was the first Christmas present you ever got?” Grady asks.

“We didn’t celebrate Christmas on Voyager, so my first Christmas present was my engagement ring from Mummy.”

“But that’s not a Christmas present,” Gretchen argues. “That’s for you to get married.”

“Okay….” Seven says. “You know the globe that’s in my study at home?”

Both children nod. 

“Mummy gave me that and programmed it so it can show me all of the places on Earth she wanted us to visit together.” The children aren’t allowed to touch it, for obvious reasons, so they know very little about it. “There’s little holograms when you hover over each of the places she wanted us to go, and when we visit she swaps the landmarks out for a holo-image of us at the place.”

“Have you been to all of the places?” Gavin wonders. 

“Not yet,” Seven smiles. “And we add new ones from time to time.”

“What’s the best place you went?” he follows up. 

“The Great Barrier Reef. It was almost ruined in the late 1900s and 2000s, but scientists managed to save it. It’s full of beautiful coral and marine life.”

“Cool,” Grady says. “What about where you want to go the most?” 

Seven thinks about it. “Mount Everest, but I won’t be doing that.”

“Why not?” Grady and Gretchen ask in unison. 

“It’s very dangerous,” she tells the children. She won’t risk it now she has them to worry about. Kathryn would do a spectacular job of raising them, but Seven will never, ever be as reckless and selfish as her own parents were. She chose to have children knowing that it would mean she would end up trading things like climbing Everest for something she wanted more. She doesn’t think that the rest of her life needs to be put on hold for her to be a good parent, but she draws the line at anything that may endanger her life and leave the children with one fewer parent.

“Will you show us the globe if we promise we won’t touch?” Grady requests.

“Of course,” Seven tells them. It’s not a ‘secret’, it’s just not something that has ever come up.

Grady keeps the questions going while Seven is on a roll, answers coming thick and fast. “And what’s my Christmas present?”

Seven laughs. “A good attempt, but no. You’ll have to wait for Christmas morning.” She watched as Grady pouts a little then grins. “Do you want to go and play with Gavin now?” she suggests, and watches both children run off to join their brother. 

All in all, the conversation hadn’t been as bad as Seven thought it would be, but she’s glad she has a few minutes to herself to regroup. The question about Kathryn being afraid of her doesn’t sit well with her at all. It’s been an interesting 48 hours. She’s also glad that the children’s interest in the Borg clearly hasn’t overshadowed their interest in Christmas. 

When the children have tired themselves out, Seven takes them home to thaw out with warm drinks and something for lunch. Halfway through the meal, Kathryn manages to join them. She kisses each child on the head, then Seven. “How was your morning, everyone?” she enquires as she rests her hands on Seven’s shoulders and massages gently. She frowns slightly when she finds a knot and works it gently with her thumbs. 

“Fun!” Gavin announces happily. 

“Someone’s going to have a very long nap after lunch,” Seven says, letting her head fall forward. She rests her hand on Kathryn’s, encouraging her to still her fingers. She wants to save it for when she can enjoy it properly. “Let me get your lunch,” she says, standing up and stealing a kiss as she goes to retrieve Kathryn’s sandwich.

“Not nap. Quiet time,” Gavin argues stubbornly.

“Okay. Quiet time,” Seven agrees. She knows her son well enough to know that he’ll be out like a light as soon as he is put down for his nap.

Kathryn sits down and turns her attention to the twins, getting filled in on their morning. She thanks Seven for the sandwich.

“I have to go now,” she tells Kathryn. “I’ll be about an hour. Not more than an hour and a half.”

“Are you going to tell me where you’re going?”

“You’ll find out,” Seven replies. “No secrets,” she reminds her of the promise they had once made each other. 

“No secrets,” Kathryn agrees, and it sets her mind at ease. 

Seven bids everyone goodbye and rugs up then, heading out the door. 

When Seven arrives home she’s trying to keep it under wraps, but Kathryn can tell she’s in a good mood. They each spend time with the children; Kathryn doing various baking activities, and Seven building first a snowman with Gretchen, then a catapult with Grady. 

They all convene outside to look at Seven’s projects with the twins, and Kathryn is astounded when it’s Gretchen who suggests that they use her snowman for target practice with the catapult. Seven gives her daughter a sneaky smirk as Grady gets everything set up. 

“Incoming!” he cries out as he launches a snowball into the air. 

Gretchen jumps up in the air and puts her arms up in victory when the snowball is deflected at ends up falling to the ground a foot away from the snowman. “Haha!” she says, giving Seven a high five. 

Grady is shocked, and Kathryn gapes back and forth between the two eagerly celebrating blondes. 

Seven looks at Kathryn and shrugs. “You said no forcefield around the Christmas tree. You didn’t say I couldn’t help Gretchen erect one to protect our snowman.”

Kathryn laughs and shakes her head. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Coolest Mama ever,” Gretchen grins.

Grady pouts and brings Gavin over with him, helping him load a snowball into the catapult and showing him how to let it fly to hit the forcefield. He makes sure to keep it well away from his mothers and sister, knowing how serious they were about the rules not to use it to hit people. 

After a little more play time outside, Kathryn suggests they head inside. They can look at the baking they’ve done, then the children can have baths to warm up while Seven cooks dinner. 

They oooh and aaah over Gretchen and Kathryn’s gingerbread house, then admire how well Grady has done with making the Stollen with her. Seven tells Grady she can’t wait to taste it after dinner, then sends them up for baths with Kathryn in charge of getting Gavin ready. 

Three children eventually make their way into the kitchen in matching Christmas pjs. “Mama, dinner smells good!” Grady enthuses. Seven rarely goes “all out” but when she has time she still enjoys using the more gourmet cooking skills she learned while she was still on Voyager. 

Seven laughs. “Grady, it’s pasta and salad. Not exactly festive.”

“I like it,” Grady says with a shrug. 

“Is that all food for tomorrow?” Kathryn asks, her eyes widening as she takes in what Seven has started preparing on the kitchen island, and the amount of food in their fridge. 

“I didn’t want to run out,” the younger woman explains. 

“Honey, we could have a reunion of Voyager’s entire crew and not run out with all of that food.” It’s hyperbole, but there IS a lot of food. 

Seven shrugs. “It will be fine. Worst-case scenario we will have plenty of leftovers and won’t need to cook for a few days.”

Kathryn smiles. “Well, it looks delicious.”

“And in the center we’ll have the second Stollen, Gretchen’s beautiful gingerbread house and Gavin’s super special cookies, all of which _you_ were involved in,” she tells Kathryn. “A family effort.”

“Good work, team,” Kathryn tells them. “Now, can we please eat? I’m starving!”

After dinner they put out milk and cookies for Santa, along with carrots for the reindeer. Gavin adds a pine cone to the tray, deciding Santa might ‘need’ it, and then all of the children are ushered off to bed. The twins decide to camp on Gavin’s floor, and Seven and Kathryn insist on moving mattresses in for them. With all of the children in one room it will be easier to sneak the gifts out, they reason, and while usually they would worry that the older two will keep Gavin awake, they’re somewhat hopeful that this will result in everyone getting to sleep in in the morning, rather than springing out of bed at 5am for presents. After Kathryn reads ‘’Twas the Night Before Christmas’’ to the family- Seven included- they leave the children to fall asleep.

“Is there much prep work left to do in the kitchen?” Kathryn asks when they’ve left the room, closing the door quietly behind them. 

“I need an hour,” Seven tells her. 

“Could you use the hands of a Sous Chef?” the older of the two offers as they make their way back downstairs. 

“Yes please,” Seven requests. “I’m exhausted. If we can get it done quickly we can still have time for hot chocolate and a cuddle in front of the tree and, if you still want to, maybe an ‘adult cuddle’?” They always try to snuggle in front of the tree on Christmas Eve- it’s a tradition since their first Christmas together when Kathryn proposed. Their special, romantic place that they can only revisit for a short period of the year.

Kathryn kisses Seven. “I always want to have an ‘adult cuddle’ with you, but you just said you’re tired, darling.” It's early for Seven to be tired, but they did have a big day, and less sleep than usual the night before.

“I promised you lingerie...”

“Which will still look just as good on you tomorrow night, or the night after, or the night after,” Kathryn points out. Yes, they try to make an effort, but she doesn’t want Seven feeling obligated to have sex when she’s already exhausted. “Honestly, I’m tired, too. And tomorrow the children won’t want to stop, they’ll be too excited about Santa and presents. We should both try to get a good night’s sleep.”

Seven resigns herself to the fact that Kathryn is correct. “Okay. I love you, though. And you’re very sexy. If we didn’t have a long day tomorrow…”

“I know,” Kathryn assures her. “I love you, too, and I think we both know how I feel about your sexiness.” She winks at Seven. “Now, let’s get into the kitchen so we can finish up and relax.”

Seven heads into the kitchen hand-in-hand with Kathryn. She has a lot of it prepped already, but she and Kathryn spend time peeling and cutting vegetables to roast ‘with enough for leftovers’ so their meat-to-vegetable ratio means they’ll have full meals rather than having to cook additional vegetables later. 

“We had another Borg Q&A when we went to the park this morning,” Seven says as she peels a potato.

Kathryn scrunches up her nose. “How did it go? I didn’t want to step in at breakfast time. I hope you don’t think I wasn’t being supportive…”

“No, I understand,” Seven assures her. She sets the peeled potato down and picks up another. “It wasn’t awful. They wanted to know about trivial things like whether they celebrated holidays, whether I had Christmas before I became part of the collective. Mostly fairly innocuous.”

“Mostly…” Kathryn echoes. That means some of it wasn’t. She picks up the potato Seven had just finished peeling so she can chop it.

“There was one thing I couldn’t answer. I don’t want them to ambush you, but I also don’t want an answer to this question myself.”

Kathryn furrows her brow and sets the knife down. “What happened to no secrets between us?”

“Does it count if I ask you to keep it a secret?” the ex-drone wonders, keeping her eyes trained on the potato she’s peeling and refusing to meet Kathryn’s gaze.

“I… don’t know,” she admits. “You’ve never wanted me to keep something from you before.” She doesn’t like the sound of this at all- not only because Seven is asking her to keep something from her, but also because her wife won’t make eye contact.

“If you answer one way I don’t know if I’d believe you. If you answer another way I know I’ll be hurt. It’s a no-win situation. I’d have preferred to not talk or think about it at all, but since they asked and I told them they should ask you... I don’t want you to be caught off-guard when they direct the question your way.” Another potato is set aside, and Seven moves to pick up a third when Kathryn’s hands reach out to stop hers.

“Will you talk to me, please? And look at me? Seven, I’m worried. You’re sneaking around and now whatever this question is is upsetting you and rather than discussing it you’re avoiding it. This isn’t like you.”

Seven takes a steadying breath and brings her eyes up to meet Kathryn’s. “I promise you the things aren’t related,” she assures her. “It’s just a coincidence.”

“Then why won’t you tell me what’s going on?” the older woman asks pleadingly.

“I was out making Christmas preparations- I had to collect my gift for you and your gift from your mother and Phoebe.”

“Why did that require an appointment?”

“It didn’t,” Seven tells her honestly. “I thought I was done there for the year, but something came up and I decided to drop by work to conduct some tests. I had to meet one of the techs to assist.”

“Then why didn’t you call it a meeting?” the older woman challenges. It isn’t like her to be suspicious of Seven, but she’s concerned and she needs answers.

“Because it wasn’t an accurate descriptor.”

Kathryn sighs. Semantics. “And what is it the twins want to know?”

Seven looks down again. Kathryn hasn’t used this tone with her since shortly after she came to Voyager, when she was always ‘in trouble’ for one thing or another. She understands Kathryn is worried, and that she’s to blame for the other woman’s concern, but this still makes her feel horrible. She refuses to wallow, though. “I need you to not respond to this, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative,” she tells her. “Because if you say you’ll tell me if it’s positive, then I know that if you’re quiet it’s negative.”

Kathryn follows the logic. She tries to study Seven’s face, but she can’t get a read on what she’s thinking. She reaches out for her and places her hands on Seven’s upper arms, encouraging her wife to turn to face her. “I’m sorry about my tone,” she apologises. “I was- I am concerned, and I lost my cool.” She ducks her head to try and catch Seven’s gaze, somewhat relieved when she does. “Whatever it is, it’s okay,” she says reassuringly. 

Seven swallows hard. She takes a deep, shaky breath, then looks at Kathryn. “They wanted to know if you were scared of me when I was Borg.”

Kathryn’s hands drop from Seven’s arms as the question catches her off-guard. “Well, shit…” she says. She rarely swears outside the bedroom, but this time she thinks it’s warranted. She's glad she has advanced notice. “They asked you that today? While you were out?” No wonder Seven’s not quite herself. That’s heavy stuff.

“I understand why they asked,” the ex-drone replies. “But it hurt. And the answer scares me.”

Kathryn pinches the bridge of her nose and starts to pace a little, the way she usually does when she’s grappling with a complex problem. How is she meant to respond to that? If she says no, will the children think that there’s no reason to be afraid of the Collective? If she says yes, what does that say about her relationship with Seven? And how she sees Seven as a person? 

“I’m going to get the reindeer’s carrots to peel for lunch tomorrow,” she tells Kathryn. “Would you like the milk and cookie?” She feels like they both need a little space for a few minutes. Kathryn shakes her head, and Seven leaves the room. She sits down on the couch next to the plate and listens to make sure she can’t hear the children stirring before she picks up the glass of milk and the cookie, letting herself indulge in a little snack. 

Kathryn watches Seven leave, feeling somewhat helpless. They had anticipated questions about assimilation, what Seven had done during her time with the Borg, how her cybernetics affected her, whether or not they would inherit any Borg ‘genes’, xenophobia and a myriad of other complicated questions, but never once had either of them considered this. She knows how she felt, but expressing it is a completely different matter. And how can she share something this intimate and integral to their relationship with the children, but not with Seven? What if the children tell Seven what she says? Shouldn’t Kathryn get to control that narrative? She picks up the vegetable peeler and sets to work on prepping the rest of the vegetables alone, wanting something to keep her hands busy while she figures a way out of this.

Seven hears Kathryn start to work again, and feels a little guilty that she’s sitting down having milk and a cookie while Kathryn sorts out the meal for their family. She looks around the room, making sure things are in place for the following morning. Gifts from Santa still need to be put out, but their five stockings are neatly hung. She stands up and tidies away a few of the items that have accumulated as a result of the room being ‘lived in’- a few books, one of Gavin’s blocks that has somehow made its way under the couch, and some loose pine needles that have fallen from the tree. 

When all is tidy she takes a moment to look at the stockings again and think about what they symbolise- their family. Kathryn’s mother had given them their stockings for their first Christmas back on Earth- matching hers and hers designs featuring a K and an S, hand-stitched by Gretchen with love and fastidious attention to detail. When the twins were born, she had sent them a book with patterns in it and asked them to choose a design for each of her new grandchildren- she wanted her daughter and daughter-in-law to have a choice about whether the stockings matched their own or simply complemented them, and whether the twins’ would be identical to each other or more individual. They had settled on complementary stockings, each with a G, but with different stitched patterns; reindeer for Grady, and a wintery village for little Gretchen. When Gavin came along, they had pulled the book out again and chosen a Christmas tree. She supposes their family is a little like the stockings- assembled with love and care, accumulated over time, and although they are different, they go together like they were made for one another. Pulling at one stitch isn’t going to unravel the whole thing. Regardless of how difficult this is, they will figure it out together.


	6. Chapter 6

Eventually Kathryn comes to join Seven in the living room with two mugs of hot chocolate. She hands one to her wife and glances at the couch next to her. “May I?”

“Of course,” Seven tells her with a frown. Surely they aren’t at the stage where they need to ask permission to sit next to each other?

Kathryn lowers herself onto the couch and looks over at the Christmas tree, waiting to see if Seven speaks first. They seldom have issues like this, so neither of them are particularly well-versed at dealing with them when they arise. “I know you don’t want to talk about this,” Kathryn tells her when Seven doesn’t start the ball rolling with the conversation. “But we need to. I can’t have you wondering about it, and I certainly can’t talk to the children about OUR relationship when I haven’t spoken to you about it. It’s not right, Seven.”

“Maybe they won’t ask you,” Seven offers, although she doesn’t think there’s much chance of that.

“More than likely they will,” Kathryn counters. “And seeing how much this has upset you, we can’t leave it unresolved. It’s going to fester and we’re going to end up having problems later if we don’t deal with it now.” They don’t have to express every half-formed thought and mild concern they have with each other, but over the years they’ve discovered that it’s better for both of them, and for their relationship, if ‘big’ issues are dealt with as soon as possible, rather than being swept under the rug.

“I know I was awful when I came on board,” Seven tells Kathryn quietly. “And I know you were the one on the receiving end of all of my anger and hostility.”

“Of course you were angry,” Kathryn reasons with her. “You had been taken from the only family you could ever remember having. You were alone and scared in a strange place. You wanted to go back to what was familiar and felt safe.”

Seven hates this. She could have happily lived the rest of her life without ever thinking back on this time again. “I was aggressive.”

“No,” Kathryn corrects her. “You were defensive. There is a difference.”

Seven looks up at Kathryn now- the older woman has managed to capture her attention.

“Seven, I was scared of the Borg,” she tells her sincerely. “As a collective. But I was _never_ scared of you. Even when you were fighting to join them again you were never acting out of malice or intent to hurt me. You defended yourself, like anyone would in that situation. Can you see how that’s different?” she asks gently. “You because you weren’t trying to harm anyone- you were only trying to protect yourself.”

“Really?” Seven asks softly, and Kathryn can see how vulnerable her wife is feeling right now.

“Really,” she reassures her. “You’re the toughest woman I know, Seven, and the bravest. You’ll do anything to protect others, but that’s where you draw the line. Self-preservation, and the defence of others. You never wilfully hurt anyone; it’s just not who you are.” Kathryn reaches out to hold Seven’s hand then, making sure she takes the one with cybernetics in it. “You are so protective and so sweet and gentle, and you have this incredible tendency to ensure that people are treated justly. I saw that gentleness in you from the very start, and I love that about you.”

Seven looks down at their joined hands and wonders briefly what hers would be like if it was all flesh and blood without the additions of metal and wires.

“You could have done almost anything you wanted to when we got back to Earth,” Kathryn tells her. “You could have been rich and famous. Made a fortune touring the Alpha Quadrant and regaling people with tales of the Borg, or written a book that garnered widespread attention, but you didn’t. You kept as low of a profile as you possibly could and started a research lab.” Seven had chosen, when she returned to Earth, to start a not-for-profit organisation that conducted research into the use of nano probes and other Borg technology to cure medical issues. Despite some initial resistance from people who were apprehensive about the technology, had Seven chosen to make Delta Labs ‘for-profit’ it would have been SIGNIFICANT profit. Instead, though, Seven had stood by the idea that she wanted any residual income to be reinvested into research and development. As a result, in the past eighteen months she had been able to fund an expansion and increase their scope to include research into sustainable living. It was still early days, in the scheme of things, but she remained hopeful that they would be able to do positive things for the environment and tackle some important social issues. The organisation was living up to its mission; many people thought that the ‘Delta’ in Delta Labs was reference to the Delta Quadrant, but it was really a reference to its mathematical and scientific meaning. In both disciplines, Delta meant change. “What does that tell you about yourself?” the older woman enquires. 

Seven shrugs. “I found social interaction in groups unpleasant and would give up fame and fortune to avoid it?” she tries.

Kathryn rolls her eyes. “We both know that wasn’t what motivated you. You want to help people, and you’re willing to give those things up to make other people’s lives better. You reinvest the profits so you can do more research and help more people. You have a good heart, Seven, and that’s all I ever saw in you. You have never been scary to me.”

Seven sets her own hot chocolate down and launches herself at Kathryn, hugging her like her life depends on it. If Kathryn was lying to her about not being scared of her, Seven would know. She doesn’t know what to say right now, but she clings to her wife as relief washes over her. Kathryn has explained it so perfectly, and Seven knows she will make the twins understand.

Kathryn sets her own mug down and wraps her arms around Seven, stroking her hair lovingly and making nonsensical soothing noises. “It’s okay,” she whispers every now and then. “I love you.” When Seven starts to relax, Kathryn shifts their positions so she is laying on her back on the couch, and Seven can lay on top of her, front to front, with her head resting on Kathryn’s chest and her body nestled comfortably between her wife’s legs.

“Thank you for insisting we talk about it,” Seven says after several minutes of silence. It feels like a weight she didn’t know she had been carrying until today has been lifted off her shoulders.

“Thank you for listening and giving me a chance to explain,” Kathryn replies. She runs her fingers through Seven’s hair, grazing her neatly-trimmed nails over the younger woman’s scalp, just the way she likes it. “Anything else on that beautiful mind of yours?”

Seven almost purrs when she feels Kathryn’s fingers in her hair and on her scalp. She sighs happily. “How long do you have?” she asks, implying she has a lot to say.

Kathryn is surprised that Seven has a ‘list’ of things to get off her chest, but more than willing to discuss them. “As long as you need, my love.”

Seven smiles and nuzzles into the cushiony softness of Kathryn’s chest, idly thinking that she needs to show Kathryn’s breasts more appreciation. “What are we going to do with Gavin’s pine cone for Santa?” she asks. Honestly, it’s the most pressing issue she has right now- they have to make a decision before morning.

“I was thinking about that earlier,” Kathryn tells her, playing with a strand of Seven’s hair by wrapping it around her finger then letting it slide off. “Can we hide it in one of our offices, then when they aren’t around I was thinking we could paint it gold and attach a ribbon to use it as a decoration next year? When he’s old enough we can tell him the story.”

Seven tilts her head to glance up at Kathryn. “I am so in love with your brain,” she grins. “Complex science, strategic vision, military tactics, inter-species diplomacy and cutesy, sentimental craft projects. It’s incredible.” 

Kathryn’s cheeks colour, but she accepts the compliment. “What else is on your mind that we can use my apparently much-loved brain to deal with?” she asks, letting another strand of Seven’s hair fall off her finger. It’s not that she thinks she has all of the answers, but they’re almost always able to come up with a solution when they work together.

“Do you really like my hair longer? Or should I have some length taken off?”

The older woman shifts, amused. “I thought these were going to be serious issues.”

“I never said that,” Seven defends herself, clearly not upset about it. “And seriousness is subjective. I’d argue that staying attractive to my wife is a serious issue.”

“Darling, you’re stunning regardless of how your hair looks. You could be bald and I would be attracted to you.”

Seven groans. “Unfortunately you’ve seen that, so you know from experience.” She’s thankful that the doctor was able to stimulate hair growth so her transition from Borg to human wasn’t made further difficult by having to transition through awkward hair lengths that didn’t suit her, too. Not that she would have found them to be particularly relevant at the time, but she knows now that others may have. She has nothing against short hair, she just doesn’t think it would have suited her.

“Would you believe that I only ever think of that when you mention that first week or so of you being on Voyager? The rest of the time I just see you as you are now, or I think back on the way you looked when we were in the Delta Quadrant.” In that skin-tight biosuit. How could Kathryn ever forget? “To answer your question properly, though, I love it both ways… The length it is now may sneak ahead in my preferences by a teeny tiny amount, but as long as you feel good that’s all that matters.”

“Noted,” Seven smiles. Next issue! “I told the twins I’d show them the globe you gave me for our first Christmas on Earth. Would you like to be part of that?”

“Yes please,” Kathryn replies. That was an easy one.

“Pancakes or waffles for breakfast tomorrow?”

“Pancakes. Those thick, fluffy ones you make.”

“If we had discussed acquiring something ‘in the future’, but not put a specific date on it, would you be terribly upset with me if I went ahead and got it without you?”

Kathryn furrows her brow. “Well… I suppose that depends. Did we agree we would definitely get whatever this thing is?”

“Yes,” Seven tells her confidently.

“Is it a major financial decision?”

“No.”

“Does it involve the children?” Although she trusts Seven implicitly with the children, she likes to be involved in the decisions made that affect their family.

“Not directly.”

“I’m intrigued,” Kathryn admits.

Seven raises an eyebrow. “That’s a good starting point.”

“Is this about my Christmas gift?”

Seven gives her sly smile. “Maybe…”

“Are you getting cold feet about it?”

“No… Okay, perhaps a little,” the younger woman admits.

“Did you get a tattoo of my name on your butt?” Kathryn asks cheekily to break the tension for Seven. They had joked about that in the past, but never actually intended to follow through with it.

Seven rolls her eyes. “No. It has nothing to do with my body, so you can also rule out piercings and a third breast,” both of which they had also joked about in the past but never seriously considered.

“There goes my dream of one for each hand and one for my mouth,” Kathryn sighs with faux exasperation. 

“You have more than enough to keep you entertained,” the younger woman smirks.

Kathryn waggles her eyebrows playfully, showing that Seven is absolutely correct on that. “Umm… is this something that you wanted, too?” she asks, getting back to the original conversation.

“Now you are attempting to guess what the gift is, rather than determine whether or not you would be upset with me for getting it for you,” Seven chides.

Kathryn gathers Seven’s hair up and twists it into the chiffon style she used to wear when she first joined Voyager, not pinning it, just holding it there to see how it looks. “Well, I’m excited,” she reasons. “I’m sure it will be wonderful, whatever you’ve chosen.”

Seven remains still so Kathryn can keep her hair like that, if that’s how she wants it. “I believe that’s all of my concerns for now.”

“Oh. That was’t so bad,” Kathryn replies, releasing Seven’s hair and returning to the scalp massage. “Do you feel better now it’s off your chest?”

“Mhmm…” the ex-drone hums. “Do you have anything you wanted to talk about?” 

Kathryn thinks for a minute, making a genuine effort to recall. “Was there anything behind you wanting no Starfleet-issued clothing in bed last night?”

“No,” Seven replies lightly. “I just wanted my wife as my wife. I love you and am attracted to you all the time, but sometimes I don’t want to be reminded that I share you with Starfleet,” she tells her sincerely.

“You know you always come first, don’t you?” Kathryn asks hopefully.

Seven nods. “Yes. When we decided we wanted to give a relationship between us a real try you promised me that once we got back to Earth, it was me first and Starfleet second. You’ve never broken that promise.”

“There was that time just after you gave birth to the twins,” Kathryn reminds her guiltily.

“It doesn’t count if you don’t know there’s an issue,” Seven tells her. “Any time I have expressed that I want or need to be a priority, you have made me one. No exceptions.” She tries not to take advantage of it too often, and would never interrupt a serious situation for something trivial, but she knows that if push comes to shove Kathryn will let Starfleet and the whole Federation be damned to make sure Seven has everything she wants and needs.

Kathryn kisses the top of Seven’s head. “You’re worth it.”

Seven hides her face against Kathryn’s breasts and grins. She’s worth it. The thought makes her feel slightly giddy with happiness. “Anything else on your mind for our first-annual Christmas Eve Catharsis?” 

Kathryn chuckles at that. “Do you promise that by the end of tomorrow any other secrets or sneakiness will be resolved between us?” she asks more seriously.

Seven thinks about it. “There might be one more thing. I don’t know if it will be ready in time.”

The older woman scrunches up her nose at that. “Before our wedding anniversary?”

“Yes. Definitely,” Seven confirms. She can see her response is enough to placate Kathryn… for now. “Next question?”

“Do you think you can arrange for someone else to take the reins at work for a few days early next year so we can have a three or four day weekend away without the children?”

“Without them?” Seven asks with a slight frown.

“Just a few nights,” Kathryn clarifies. “We’ve left them with Phoebe and my mother for one night before.”

“We were at home, though, so we could drop everything if they needed us, and it was only twenty four hours.” It’s clear the idea makes Seven slightly uneasy. As much as she loves Kathryn, her children are her world.

“And they were completely fine,” Kathryn reminds her gently, stroking her cheek soothingly. “Mum raised Phoebe and I and we both made it to adulthood. And Phoebe’s kids are fine.”

“I’m not concerned about their ability to care for our children,” Seven argues. She opens her mouth to continue and is cut off.

“Seven of Nine. Incoming message from Delta Laboratories,” the computer interrupts them.

Seven looks at Kathryn apologetically.

“Seven, it’s Christmas Eve,” Kathryn pouts. “You’re trying to have a romantic evening with your wife.”

“I’m sorry,” Seven says sincerely. 

“First you snuck off to work this afternoon and now this?” Kathryn isn’t angry, she’s disappointed which, to be honest, is worse. If Seven had been honest about going to work instead of sneaky it wouldn’t have bothered her and she would have been much more forgiving of the interruption. She understands Seven’s work is important, and she’s 100% supportive of that, but there needs to be a line drawn.

“It’s probably about this afternoon…” Seven reasons.

Kathryn lets out a resigned sigh and lets go of her wife’s hair so she can sit up. “Okay,” she relents. “If you don’t take it now you’re going to be wondering what it’s about all evening.” Then the interruption won’t be short- it will be the whole evening with Seven’s attention being divided. 

Seven places a quick, contrite kiss to Kathryn’s lips. “I’ll be right back,” she promises, before instructing the computer to put the caller through to her study.

Kathryn stares after Seven. Really? She’s leaving the room? She could have at least stayed on the couch with her. Kathryn gets up from her seat then and picks up the pine cone and carrots, deciding she may as well get something productive done. She deposits the pine cone in a high cupboard for now, where Gavin won’t be able to see it, and then gets to work washing the carrots. She’s surprised to find that Seven is back within minutes, looking at her bashfully. 

“I’m sorry,” the younger woman apologises again, walking up to Kathryn with her hands behind her back. “Nothing is more important to me than you and our family.”

Logically Kathryn knows that, but when Seven has just left her in the middle of snuggle time it does send conflicting messages. “Seven, I want to have more time with you. Without work,” Kathryn explains. “Last night reminded me how much I miss having hours of your undivided attention. And not just for sex. To talk and connect and just _be_ with you. You don’t want to share me with Starfleet all the time, and sometimes I don’t want to share you with anyone either. I know you always make time for me, but there’s something special about it being such a long, uninterrupted period. I need that. Please? Just a few days with no work and no children.”

Seven bites her lip, feeling her heart pound in her chest. “I… I want to, Kathryn. I do,” she says hesitantly. 

‘Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?’ Kathryn wonders internally.

“But I can’t,” Seven finishes.

‘There it is!’ Kathryn thinks. “You can’t?” she asks sadly, her shoulders slumping. “Or you won’t?” She can’t hide the hurt she’s feeling now. Seven had said herself not even half an hour ago that Kathryn always makes her her top priority, and now Seven’s saying no to a few measly days away?

“I can’t,” Seven tells her. “I can- and _will_ \- arrange the time off work, but I can’t give you a child-free weekend.” She swallows hard. She’s so nervous she can feel her hands shaking behind her.

“No, you _can_ , you’re choosing not to,” Kathryn corrects her, hoping to appeal to Seven’s logic. She’s a tiny bit irritated now.

Seven shakes her head no. “No, I can’t,” she insists. “We can leave Gavin and the twins at home, but…” she brings her hands out from behind her back and shows Kathryn the book with patterns for Christmas stockings in it, looking at her wife with wide blue eyes. “The baby and I are going to be a package deal until at least mid-July.”

Kathryn drops the carrots she was holding on the floor and stares at Seven in disbelief. “You…” she looks down at Seven’s stomach, then back up at her face. “But we did the test and it was negative. I… If this is a joke it isn’t funny,” she warns.

“The doctor said that in our excitement we probably tested too early. Apparently by our third pregnancy and after this many attempts we should have known better,” Seven tells her, slightly sheepish. “I just.. I haven’t felt right. I know what the first test said, but I know my body and I’ve only felt this way twice before, so I left work early yesterday to go and have the doctor do the testing this time.” The whole explanation is flooding out of Seven now, leading her to ramble- she isn’t used to holding things back from Kathryn, and she just wants to tell her everything. It’s the secret she was worried about not being resolved by the end of the day tomorrow, and she’s so relieved to be able to share it with the woman she loves. "Apparently there was an emergency, so the doctor cancelled and I came home instead. He couldn’t reschedule for today, but I couldn’t wait until after Christmas to find out… I know how much we both want this, so this afternoon I asked one of the doctors from work to come in and run some more accurate tests. I wanted to be sure before I said anything because I didn’t want to see you disappointed again.” It had broken her heart each time a pregnancy test came back negative- not only because she wanted another baby herself, but also because she knew how badly Kathryn did. The Admiral never blamed Seven, and was always nothing but supportive, but Seven knew that deep down Kathryn was hurting, too.

The older woman can’t quite process this. They had been trying without success for far longer than it had taken them to fall pregnant with the twins or Gavin, and she had almost given up. “I don’t understand,” she says. Her eyes move from side to side as she thinks about it, almost as if she’s trying to visually piece all of this together. “Your meeting-“ she shakes her head. “Sorry, ‘appointment’, was for a pregnancy test?”

Seven nods.

“And you waited until you were absolutely positive to tell me?”

“That’s what the call was about just then. I wouldn’t have let them interrupt our evening if it was just about work,” Seven assures her. Kathryn should have known that.

“So you’re 100% sure?” Kathryn is sure she must sound stupid, but she’s in disbelief right now. She needs it spelled out for her.

“I am 100% sure,” Seven confirms. This isn’t quite the reaction she was expecting. Kathryn seems more shocked than happy right now.

As if she can read her mind, Kathryn’s confusion slowly melts into a huge grin. “Oh my god,” she says, staring at Seven in awe. “We’re going to have another baby!!”

Seven’s whole face lights up and she laughs. “Shhh!” she encourages Kathryn. “You’re going to wake the ones we’ve got upstairs!”

“I don’t care,” Kathryn tells Seven with a grin, walking over and resting both of her hands on her wife’s stomach. She leans down and presses a few kisses there, then raises up again to press her lips against Seven’s. “You’re incredible. I love you so much,” she tells her.

“Worth the interruption?” Seven asks hopefully.

Kathryn wraps her arms around Seven and squeezes her tight. “Best. Christmas. Ever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise? 
> 
> This actually wasn't going to happen until the end of the story, but as often happens, once I started writing things went in a different direction. The next chapter will probably be an epilogue.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here, it's queer, and it's full of Christmas cheesiness and cliches. Please enjoy the final chapter of the little Christmas fic I've put together for you to enjoy.
> 
> I hope you've all had a nice break and managed to at least have a phone call with a loved one, despite the distance many of us have had to keep. Thank you so much for your ongoing kudos and comments. They really do mean a lot.

On Christmas morning a very loved-up Seven and Kathryn wake up in each other’s arms. “Good morning,” Seven whispers. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Kathryn whispers back, smiling so big she thinks her face might crack. “How are you feeling?” Logically Kathryn knows that Seven isn’t going to spontaneously develop morning sickness now that they know she’s pregnant, but that isn’t going to stop her from being protective and concerned. Given they know the exact date of conception without needing the doctors to tell them, Kathryn knows that if Seven is going to have any nausea it should, statistically speaking, start in the next week or so.

Seven rolls onto Kathryn for sleepy, languid kisses, sneaking a hand up the top of Kathryn’s Christmas pyjamas to touch her ribs and side, and that’s all the response Kathryn needs. The older woman goes to flip them so Seven is on the bottom, but the younger puts up a little resistance, staying on top. 

“Let me?” she whispers, and Kathryn immediately gives up the ‘fight’. 

“We’re having another baby,” Kathryn whispers back, feeling the need to say it to remind herself that it’s real. She palms one of Seven’s breasts gently through her top- in the past with all of the hormones coursing through her body her chest had been incredibly sensitive when she was pregnant, and Seven’s little hiss of enjoyment proves that this time is no different. It hadn’t clicked for Kathryn the night before that Seven was particularly sensitive there- she figured it was just the mood they were in. 

“I’m starting to think the Christmas gift I got you was ill-advised,” Seven whispers as she moves her kisses down to Kathryn’s neck.

“The baby isn’t the gift?” Kathryn asks curiously, her voice closer to normal volume now. She knows that Seven would never say the baby was a bad idea.

Seven laughs and nips playfully at the other woman’s neck. “Of course not. The baby is because I love you.”

Kathryn lets out a low moan when she feels Seven’s teeth. “Not that I’m not appreciative of whatever other effort you have made, but it would have been more than enough.”

Seven shakes her head no. “Babies aren’t Christmas gifts.”

“It’s twins again?!” Kathryn half-yells.

The younger woman laughs. “No!” she tells her, clearly amused. “I mean… I don’t know, but surely not… Would you be disappointed if it was?” She doesn’t have any details yet- she wanted the pregnancy confirmed, but everything else she wants to find out with Kathryn. Her wife has always been with her through her pregnancies, every step of the way. Kathryn had never missed a scan, check-up, birthing class, or anything else to do with them.

Kathryn frowns. “Of course not. I will love one, or two, or three, or ten, or however many babies we have.”

“We might have to draw the line in there somewhere,” Seven grins, resting her forehead against Kathryn’s. 

“We’re already outnumbered…” Kathryn says playfully, although she knows Seven is right and she absolutely agrees with her. She brings her hands to Seven’s backside and squeezes as she goes in for another kiss, starting to get very much in the mood to show Seven how happy she is about their expanding family.

“IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!” suddenly interrupts the relative quiet of their morning as three very excited Hansen-Janeways burst into the bedroom without knocking.

Seven quickly scrambles off Kathryn and the older woman glances over at her wife. “On second thought, four is good,” she tells her playfully.

“Santa came!” Gretchen tells her mothers, piling onto the bed with them, completely oblivious to being one third of kiddus-interruptus. 

“Did he?” Seven asks enthusiastically, willing her body to calm down. 

“There’s presents!” Grady adds.

“I buyed scarves!” Gavin announces, causing everyone to laugh. Kathryn and Seven have obviously thought of the same gift to buy each other ‘from’ their youngest, and he’s actually done really well keeping it a secret as long as he has.

“It’s meant to be a surprise,” Seven reminds the soon-to-be second youngest of their children gently.

“Til Chwistmas,” Gavin says, confident he’s held onto the secret long enough.

“You’re a good surpriser, Gavin,” Kathryn tells him, pulling the littlest onto the bed for a hug.

“Alright,” Seven says, sitting up. “Down we go. Present time,” she instructs, and watches as Gavin quickly wiggles free from Kathryn’s grasp and joins the bigger kids.  
“Don’t let Gavin do the stairs on his own!” Kathryn calls out after the children. She sits up with Seven then and smiles, reaching out to rest a hand on her stomach. “This is between us for right now, isn’t it?” she asks, wanting to check.

Seven nods. “Just for now.”

“Okay,” Kathryn agrees and gets out of bed, offering Seven a hand to help her up, which is accepted despite not being required. She stands still as Seven tidies her hair and then both walk downstairs to start the festivities.

They start with the smaller gifts and work their way up to the ‘big’ ones, with a few books and toys for each child, and gifts from the children to each of their mothers- picked by the kids, paid for by the parents. They usually prefer to give experiences over ‘things’, so when it gets to their bigger gifts Gavin gets an outing with his mothers for the day to have lunch and a special tour of a museum full of trains, Gretchen is gifted an overnight camping trip with Kathryn and Seven to look at some rock formations she had taken a particular interest in, and Grady is getting some time on a holodeck with each of his mothers so he could start learning to fly a shuttle in a safe, controlled environment where the biggest risk was having to reset the program.

As it gets closer to time, Kathryn has to admit that she’s a little anxious about what Seven may have gotten her, and very anxious about what she has gotten Seven. It’s a risk, but she hopes she likes it. “Can I give you mine first?” she requests.

Seven nods, taking note of the nervousness Kathryn seems to be displaying. She puts her hand out and accepts a small box when it is offered to her, carefully removing the red ribbon on top. Inside it sits a PADD.  
“Have a look,” Kathryn encourages. She feels a little sick. Perhaps this was a bad idea, but it’s too late to back out now.

Seven furrows her brow and sets the box aside before turning the PADD on. “It’s a holoprogram,” she says as she scans through the data. “With characters.”

Kathryn nods. “I went through what I could find on your parents and grandparents in public records and put it together, and then uploaded your parents’ personal logs,” Kathryn had been told by Seven years ago that she was comfortable with her viewing them- Seven was able to meet Kathryn’s mother, and this was the closest she thought she could get to Kathryn being able to meet her parents. “Once I had included everything I could find I asked your Aunt for some input to make them as authentic as possible with mannerisms and voices. They won’t be perfect, but I thought maybe you’d at least like the opportunity to talk to them? You know… time with family?” she’s watching Seven with a look of fear and hope on her face now, praying she’s made the right call on this.

“Kathryn, I…” Seven looks at her and starts to cry.

“Oh, Seven, I’m sorry!” Kathryn says quickly, reaching out for her hands.

“No, they’re happy tears!” Seven assures her. “This is beautiful. Thank you, honey,” she says sincerely, leaning in to kiss her lips. “This is so thoughtful. I love it.” Her view of her parents is obviously far from favourable, but maybe it will do her some good to ‘meet’ them, as well as her grandparents. “Will you come with me?” she asks hopefully. The gift must have taken Kathryn hours to program!

“If you’d like me to,” Kathryn agrees. Technically Kathryn has already ‘met’ them during testing, but it will be completely different when she experiences it with Seven.

Seven nods and wipes at her eyes. “I would,” she confirms. She looks down at the PADD again and can’t help but get engrossed in reading- it’s clear Kathryn has put a lot of effort into her gift, particularly consulting her aunt to get some of the idiosyncrasies correct.

Kathryn sits, relieved, as she watches Seven engross herself in the code. She’s glad she made the right call on this one- it had seemed like a good idea right up until it came time to give it to her.

“Mama, what did you get Mummy?” Gretchen asks, interrupting Seven’s reading.

Seven looks up. “Oh… I almost forgot!” she says, blushing a little. “Hang on, I need to put on my shoes and coat and go and get it.”

Kathryn raises an eyebrow. She thought Seven picked it up yesterday.

“It’s next door,” she assures Kathryn. “I didn’t want to spoil the surprise.” With that she gets up and quickly makes her way to the door, tugging up on her way out.

“Do you guys know what she’s up to?” Kathryn asks the children. When all three shake their heads she decides that all she can do is wait. She doesn’t have to be patient for long, with Seven poking her head around the corner into the living room a few minutes later.

“Are you ready?” the younger woman asks, chewing her bottom lip.

“As I’ll ever be!” Kathryn replies, feeling a few butterflies of her own.

Seven takes a step to the side then and moves into the doorway, revealing an Irish Setter puppy with a big Christmas bow on her collar.

“PUPPY!!!” the children yell, and Seven has to gently shush them. The twins had a dog in the house for the first few years of their lives and knew not to yell, but excitement got the better of them. Gavin, on the other hand, had missed out on meeting the dog that Kathryn had adopted with Seven when they first got back to Earth, with their beloved pooch passing away shortly before he was born.

“Shh… She’s only little. She doesn’t like big noises,” she tells them. Seven had picked up the puppy yesterday and taken it to their neighbour, a veterinarian’s house for a check-up and a ‘sleepover’. She knew their new friend would be in perfect hands until morning.

She steps forward then and closes the gap between herself and the couch, carefully handing the dog to her wife. “She’s Mollie’s great-granddaughter,” she tells Kathryn quietly. “I wouldn’t usually give a pet as a surprise gift, but I found her and we had been talking and I know how much you loved Mollie… is it okay that I did this without checking with you first?”

“This is better than okay!” Kathryn says enthusiastically, and it’s her turn to get a little teary. “Hello there, beautiful!” she lifts the puppy up and scrunches up her nose as she gets covered in enthusiastic licks. “What’s your name, my sweet girl?”

Seven laughs. “You don’t treat me that nicely,” she tells Kathryn playfully.

Kathryn looks up at Seven with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Don’t you worry, I will tonight,” she says, knowing the reference will go completely over the children’s heads, but straight to Seven’s centre. 

“What’s her name?” Grady asks as all three kids start to descend on the dog to greet her.

“I don’t know. Does she have a name?” she asks Seven, who shakes her head no. “We’ll have to think about it,” she tells them. She lets the kids take turn petting the dog, starting with the older to then teaching Gavin how to gently stroke her. “She’s perfect, Seven. This was so thoughtful. Thank you,” Kathryn says sincerely. She gives the puppy a kiss on the head, then sets her down on her lap again and watches as she curls up, comfortable and relaxed like she’s known Kathryn all her life.

“I’m hungry,” Gretchen says. “When’s breakfast?” 

Seven glances at the clock. “Let’s wait a little longer,” she encourages.

The children start to play with their new toys, and Seven stands to start tidying up, encouraging Kathryn to remain seated so she doesn’t disturb the puppy’s rest. A few minutes later, though, the doorbell rings, and Kathryn furrows her brow. “It’s early for carollers,” she says with a frown.

“It might be Kara and Leon dropping some of the puppy’s things off,” Seven says. “Could you get it, please?” she requests.

The look on Seven’s face makes Kathryn think that she knows exactly who is ringing the doorbell, and it is most definitely not Kara and Leon from next door. She eyes her suspiciously, looking at her like ‘I don’t know what you’re up to, but you can’t fool me’, and heads to the front door with the puppy cuddled close to her chest. She reaches out with one hand and is shocked to find her mother, Phoebe, Phoebe’s husband Peter, and two children waiting for her at the door.

“Surprise!” Gretchen Senior says with a grin.

“I… Mum! Phoebe! I didn’t think you could make it!” Kathryn says excitedly. That explains Seven’s insistence on preparing food for a small army.

“Plans changed, so we thought we’d talk to Seven and see if we could surprise you. She very kindly picked us up yesterday afternoon and dropped us at the hotel so we could get used to the time difference before we saw you.”

Kathryn glances back at her shoulder over Seven. Sneaky wife. “You have suitcases- does that mean you’re staying?” she asks hopefully.

“If it’s okay with you,” Phoebe says. “But either way, can we come in? It’s freezing out here!”

“Oh! Of course, sorry!” Kathryn says, stepping aside. She hugs each of her family members as they enter the house, and closes the door behind them to keep the cold out. “You can just leave your things here. I’ll help you take the bags up later,” she tells everyone. Her eyes lock with Seven’s and the younger woman comes closer to link fingers with Kathryn. “You’re devious,” she tells her.

Seven grins and shrugs, kissing Kathryn’s cheek. “We’re just about to make pancakes,” she tells their extended family. “Come in. We’ll get coffee, tea, hot chocolate… whatever you like. The children are still playing, they’re going to be thrilled to see you.”

Kathryn reluctantly puts the puppy down to play then as the little ball of fluff wiggles, wanting to explore. She smiles at Seven again and puts her second hand on Seven’s, too, so she’s holding onto one of Seven’s hands with both of her own. 

Gretchen watches the interaction between the two and then heads into the living room with Phoebe and the others to greet the children.

“You’ve outdone yourself,” Kathryn tells Seven. “Thank you.”

Seven shrugs modestly and leads Kathryn into the kitchen. “You always say they’re my family, too, so it’s not entirely selfless…”

The two women work together to get hot drinks for everyone first, and then start work on a mountain of pancakes to feed the assembled masses. When the drinks are ready and the first lot of pancakes are on the table, Kathryn calls out for everyone to come into the kitchen to eat. They’ll get the table set for a larger group for their main Christmas meal, but for now people are spread around the kitchen table and breakfast bar, wherever they can find a free seat, while Seven and Kathryn continue to cook, pausing once in a while for a mouthful of pancakes themselves.

Kathryn kisses Seven’s shoulder affectionately as the younger woman flips a pancake, and doesn’t leave her side except to get more batter out of the refrigerator. Even then, she brushes her hand over Seven’s back on the way past and lets her fingers linger as long as she can before Seven is out of reach. Seven kisses Kathryn when she brings the batter back, unaware that Gretchen the elder is sneakily cataloguing their every move. The stickiness of the kiss prompts her to reach up and wipe a little maple syrup off the corner of Kathryn’s mouth with her thumb and suck it clean.

When everyone is full and breakfast is over, Kathryn and Seven stay in the kitchen to tidy up while the rest of the family returns to the living room to talk. As soon as they’re done they join the rest of them, Kathryn taking a seat on the only free armchair, and Seven depositing herself comfortably on Kathryn’s lap ‘since there’s no other seats left’ with the puppy as the cherry on top.

The rest of the morning is spent exchanging gifts and catching up, sharing stories about what they have been up to during the year. Phoebe wants to know all about Seven’s research, and the two Gretchens talk about what the smaller of them is learning at school, while the boys play with their cousins and try not to laugh at Peter attempting to work a yo-yo. Deciding they’re all still full from breakfast, they opt to delay their big meal until dinner time and have some light snacks in the early afternoon to hold them over. 

“Kathryn, why don’t I help you in the kitchen?” Gretchen suggests. “Seven can keep an eye on your new little ball of fluff and put her feet up after all of her hard work this morning.”

Kathryn wants to protest that she helped with the breakfast, but she gets the impression that this was the sort of ‘request’ from her mother that isn’t really a request. She reluctantly extricates herself from under Seven and heads into the kitchen with her mother.

“How’s work?” Gretchen asks as she retrieves serving plates from where they were stored last time she visited.

“Good. Busy,” Kathryn tells her with a smile as she retrieves fruit and cheeses.

“Busy is good,” Gretchen confirms as she begins arranging things on the platters while Kathryn gets crackers to go with the cheese.

“It is,” Kathryn agrees. “I’m enjoying it.”

“Your father would be proud,” Gretchen tells Kathryn sincerely. “He always knew you’d go far. I don’t think he expected you’d make it quite as far as the Delta Quadrant, but certainly up the ranks at Starfleet.”

“I hope he would be,” Kathryn agrees. She goes a little quiet then, reflecting on her father. She still misses him, and really does hope she makes him proud.

“How far along is she?” Gretchen eventually asks casually, breaking the silence.

“Hmm?” Kathryn asks, looking up at her mother.

“Seven. When is the baby due?”

Kathryn goes to protest, but the look on her mother’s face tells her there’s no point. “How did you know?” she asks.

Gretchen smiles broadly. She was right! “The two of you haven’t kept your hands or eyes off each other all day,” she tells her. “This is the first time you’ve been more than arm’s reach away from each other since we got here, and that ‘there’s no seats left’ didn’t fool me- one of you would have retrieved another chair or sat on the floor. You’re usually affectionate, but the only times I’ve seen you this loved-up was around the time you got married, and when Seven has been pregnant.” The level of affection is far from inappropriate, but it’s abundantly clear that the two are very, very much in love.

“You caught us,” Kathryn admits. “Please don’t say anything, though. We only found out last night and we aren’t ready to…”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Gretchen assures her. She rounds the kitchen island and hugs her daughter. “I’m happy for you. And for me. I get another grand baby!” she says quietly but excitedly. She feels like she’s about to burst out of her skin with excitement. She has never asked if the children are biologically Kathryn’s or Seven’s, or about the details of their conception, because it doesn’t matter to her. What difference should it make if it’s Kathryn’s eggs making a baby being carried by Seven, Seven’s eggs that she’s carrying herself, or someone else’s entirely? They are Kathryn and Seven’s children, and that’s all she needs to know for her to love them. If the women wanted her to know whose genetics they possessed or how Seven came to be pregnant they would tell her, and the fact that all three have blonde or very light brown hair and blue eyes does nothing to betray their genetics- a fact with which Gretchen is quite happy. She doesn’t feel it’s anyone’s business, and the fact that it’s not immediately obvious makes it harder for them to guess or make assumptions.

“We didn’t think there was going to be another one,” Kathryn admits. “It was harder this time. We were disappointed more than once. I hadn’t realised how lucky we had been with the twins and Grady until we went through this.”

Gretchen can see the sadness of Kathryn’s face, but she’s sure it would have been much deeper prior to the good news. “No matter how old you get, Kathryn, you’re still my daughter. If you ever need to talk to someone other than Seven…”

“Thank you. It’s fine now, though,” Kathryn assures her. “At least I think it is. I suppose we’ll know more when we go for scans after the holidays. All we know at the moment is that she’s pregnant. Seven almost gave me a heart attack this morning- I thought she was implying it was twins.”

“Well, if it’s going to happen it’s usually every second pregnancy, so she’s on schedule…” Gretchen warns.

“Is that meant to be comforting, mother?” Kathryn asks, apparently unamused.

Gretchen holds her hands up defensively. “I don’t make the rules. I’m just saying that statistically speaking there’s as greater chance, and I’m not at all opposed to it being two more grandchildren. Or three. Poor Seven, though, if it is…” she winces at the thought.

“You’re not helping,” the Admiral complains.

Gretchen grins. “Maybe not, but I’m having fun,” she tells her daughter with a wink. “You’ll be fine, Kathryn. So will Seven, and so will my future grandchildren.”

Kathryn nods. She knows Gretchen is right, and it’s just normal butterflies. She’s only nervous because she cares, and she really will feel better when she’s been able to see the baby- or babies- on the scans so she knows that Seven and her precious cargo are safe and well.

Later that evening, when the children are tucked into bed, Gretchen, Kathryn, Phoebe and Seven are all sitting around the Christmas tree while Peter tinkers in the kitchen.

“I can’t believe how much the children have grown,” Phoebe tells her sister. “I almost died laughing when Grady called you ‘Admiral’.”

“We’re trying to discourage that,” Seven says, sitting comfortably with her hand in Kathryn’s, both resting on her lap. “Kathryn doesn’t like it.”

“It’s cute,” Phoebe argues. 

“It’s militaristic,” Kathryn corrects her. “I’m his mother, not his commanding officer.”

“Give him a few years,” Peter says as he enters the room with a tray of hot drinks for everyone. He distributes the drinks then sits down next to his wife. “You’ll be Fleet Admiral by then, Kathryn.”

Kathryn makes a small noise of amusement, clearly doubting that, and takes a sip of her drink. Her eyes widen a little and she sets it down, gently taking Seven's from her before she can try it and setting it aside without a word.

Seven glances at Kathryn, somewhat confused, but trusts her implicitly and would never question Kathryn’s actions or motives. Something about the way Kathryn widens her eyes again, ever so slightly, and shifts her brows tells Seven the reason. It’s astounding how much they can communicate without words. 

“It’s just a little rum,” Peter says, watching Kathryn take Seven’s drink. He knows synthehol doesn't agree with Seven, but a nip of ‘proper’ rum hasn't been a problem in the past.

“Didn’t you tell them?” Gretchen asks, and Seven almost gets upset, before her mother-in-law turns to Peter. “Seven had to have an inoculation yesterday so she can visit one of the places her new technology is being trialled. If she has alcohol in the first 48 hours it can reduce the effectiveness.”

“Oh,” Peter says. That sounds plausible. “Sorry, Seven, I hadn’t realised.” He would never have done it if he had known.

“No apology required,” Seven tells him. Mostly because it’s not true. Seven glances at Gretchen and immediately knows that she knows. It’s somewhat concerning how easily the older woman comes up with a lie, but that’s a conversation for another day. She suspects from the look on her face that Phoebe has an inkling, too, but at least Gretchen has saved them from having a conversation Seven isn't ready to have. It’s not that she’s not excited to share the news, she just wants to make it through the first trimester safely, and have a little while to enjoy this with just her and Kathryn.

“When do you head off?” Peter asks.

“Mid-January,” Seven says honestly. There’s a trip, it just didn’t require additional immunisations; she’s more than covered. She had actually managed to put the trip out of her mind- as much as she enjoys her work, she hates being away from Kathryn and the children, and it’s going to be even harder for her emotionally when she’s pregnant, particularly if she ends up with morning sickness. “I’ve been trying to cut back on my travel and delegate as much as possible, but apparently my presence is good for ‘appearances’,” her tone says everything she hasn’t about how ridiculous she thinks that is. “It’s not that I don’t care about the projects, I just prefer being at home, and given how many of my colleagues see travel as a perk of the job… It usually doesn’t make sense for me to go. Plus, the burden it puts on Kathryn…”

Kathryn rolls her eyes. “Darling, it’s fine. I’ve done it before and I can do it again. Honestly. The twins will be back at school, Gavin will be at daycare, and I did manage to Captain a starship 24 hours a day for 7 years…”

“How many of the crew did you have to prevent from sticking blocks up their nose and waking you in the middle of the night to climb into bed with you?” Seven asks, raising an eyebrow.

Phoebe snorts. “Maybe none with the blocks…” she teases good-naturedly, earning herself a gentle elbow in the ribs from Peter.  
Seven flushes. “You know what I mean,” she says. “Gretchen, back me up here?”

Kathryn’s mother tries to look innocent. “I don’t know what you did in your private time on Voyager,” she smirks.

The younger of the Hansen-Janeways rolls her eyes. “You three have one-track minds,” she accuses. Not that she complains when it’s Kathryn’s mind that’s on that track! “Surely it wasn’t easy on you when Edward went away.”

“As much as I love Edward, and he loved the girls, to say he was any help when he was around would be generous,” Gretchen tells Seven. “If anything it was less work when he was gone because I had one fewer child to worry about.”

Kathryn and Phoebe both laugh at that. Their father was always getting into mischief with them- usually as the instigator- and poor Gretchen often had to reign him in.

“Honestly, it’s not a problem. I go away for work sometimes and you handle it,” Kathryn reminds her. “And they are my children, too…”

“You go away under orders,” Seven argues gently.

“If it’s necessary for your work then it’s just as important as me receiving orders,” Kathryn insists. “Relax. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Plus, a little absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” Seven tells Kathryn, gazing at her adoringly. “Thank you for being so wonderful.”

Kathryn offers Seven a smug grin. “It comes naturally.”

Seven shakes her head and rolls her eyes for what must be the hundredth time that evening, leaning to the side to rest her head on Kathryn’s shoulder.

“Why don’t I mind the grandkids for a few days when you get back?” Gretchen offers. “The two of you could have a little trip together.”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you, mum,” Kathryn agrees. Given they’d discussed it the night before she doesn’t need to check with Seven on this. “See? You can thank me by taking me for a romantic trip somewhere and bringing me fruity drinks while I lay in a hammock and read.”

“Nope. Why do you get spoiled? They’re your children, too,” Seven teases back, using Kathryn’s words against her.

The Admiral chuckles. “We can negotiate details later,” she says, not wanting to go too far down this particular rabbit hole right now- it will inevitably lead to more teasing from her family members or more flirting with Seven. “Mum, we’d appreciate it. Thank you.” 

“You’re most welcome,” Gretchen says with a smile. It will do them some good to have some time alone before they add to their brood. “Now, on that note, I think it’s time for me to get to bed,” she decides, surveying her now-empty mug. She stands up, taking the mug with her. “Thank you all for a wonderful Christmas. I’ll see you in the morning.” She does the rounds, giving everyone a hug, then takes her mug to the kitchen before retiring for the evening.

“We should get to bed, too,” Peter decides. “It’s late.”

Phoebe nods her agreement and stands up. She hands Peter her mug to take to the kitchen on his way to bed, then smiles at her sister and sister-in-law. She considers bringing up her suspicions about Seven’s pregnancy, but decides that she’ll let them announce it in their own time. “Good night. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” Seven and Kathryn say at the same time.

When Phoebe and Peter have gone to bed, Seven shifts to rest her back against Kathryn’s front, humming quietly in appreciation as Kathryn rubs her shoulders. “Did your mother figure it out, or did you get too excited to keep it to yourself?” she asks, clearly not bothered by it.

“She figured it out. Apparently we were ‘more affectionate than usual’ and ‘couldn’t keep our hands or eyes off each other all day’,” Kathryn says.

“Oh… do you think we made them uncomfortable?” Seven asks guiltily. 

“No.” Kathryn doesn’t hesitate. “We didn’t do anything inappropriate.”

Seven tucks a hand into her pocket. “Do you want to do something inappropriate?” she offers with a little glint in her eyes. 

“What did you have in mind?” Kathryn asks, her interest piqued. 

Seven stretches her arms above her head with faux nonchalance, holding for a second or two and then only lowering one. She turns her neck so she can look at Kathryn, then glances up at the arm that’s still above their heads, causing Kathryn to follow her gaze. 

The older woman looks up to see what her wife is holding in her hand. She laughs quietly. “You don’t need mistletoe for me to kiss you.”

Seven smiles and shrugs. “It’s tradition,” she says.

Kathryn places her hands on Seven’s waist, encouraging her to turn around. When the younger woman complies, straddling her thighs, Kathryn kisses her soundly on the lips. She takes the mistletoe from Seven’s hand and tucks it into her own pocket. “Just in case,” she says mischievously. 

It’s Seven’s turn to laugh now, and she kisses Kathryn again. “Merry Christmas, honey.”

“Merry Christmas, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you would like to hear more as part of a series-- the way I've written it I'm hoping this links back neatly to 'Defining Parameters', and I've intentionally left some unresolved issues and little threads I can pick up if there's any desire to hear more about the ladies back on earth. It would be great if you expressed interest (or lack thereof!) in the comments xx


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